McIvan's View - Clash at Pavlograd - McIvan v [hirr]Leto

[McIvan]

[McIvan]

First picture is looking back at the Small Arms Factory...my hunting halfsquad uncovers Pete's cowering T70 crewmember, and proceeds to expend large amounts of ammo on it without achieving anything other than making it run away. Oh well, these things happen. The plan now is for the rest of the half squad to shoot at the negligent halfsquad while standing blindfolded against a wall. If it was a systemic platoon failure, they should be fine, and the platoon commander will be shot instead.



Behind the infantry, you can see that the PIII and Sd251/9 have eased back behind the side walls of the factory until needed again.

Next comes Pete's rogue T34.......but rather than coming forward into the fire of my defenders, it pauses at a rise and starts to open fire at sundry infantry within range. First is a hapless platoon HQ, losing a man....



....next a pair of HMGs get the treatment one after another from the hull machinegunnner, but fortunately not losing a man. The T34 is fairly blind without infantry support, and while the main gun does pick them up, it loses the track before it can fire.

The T34 is nicely just out of the arc of my panzerschrek, the armoured cars and the Sd251/9 (all now re-positioned in an orderly fashion). Which I supposed means at least the Russians can mount a co-ordinated attack next turn.

You may also notice that the Stuart crew has been gunned down and is lying in the SW corner.....shot up by the armoured car MGs, mostly.



A slightly wider shot taken at the end of the turn...and another T34 is coming up behind the first.....still a fair way away mind you, but definitely something to worry about.

You can also see a M17 that has wandered down the road, pausing to machinegun my company of infantry reinforcements (in tandem with an MMG in the two story heavy building some way behind) and has ended up right next to the church, for a little infantry vs HT faceoff. Pete is definitely showing some rashness here.....it only takes an HMG to ruin a US halftrack's day, even if he CAN suppress the church halfsquad.



A slightly closer look.

[McIvan]

Right, first order of business is what to do with Leto's T34. The overhead shot below also shows, right at the top, the second approaching T34, and also the M17 over by the church.

The shot shows various infantry and the flamethrower team closing in on the T34, mostly on sneak orders, while others try to set themselves up for, hopefully, a shot at the second T34 should it decide to join the first. I suspect it may go left round the woods to try and come up behind the armoured cars and the 251/9. Because of this, I decide to give the armoured cars and the 251/9 hunt orders toward the T34. Hopefully something will take down the T34 before the next one arrives.

The panzershrek team (just out of shot below the road) are 113 meters away with a 27% shot. I decide not to open fire with them....we will see how the infantry teams get on. The way Pete is pushing armour forward I'll bet they get a better odds shot than that before the game is over.



On the right there's not much happening. I give hunt orders to a Sd251/10, hoping it can get a shot at the rear of the M17, but the most likely result will simply be a welter of waypoint confusion.

Unfortunately our HMG 42 on hill 161 is still panicked from the 50mm mortar fire it has been under these last few turns....the M17 would have been easy meat for it.

In the middleground you can see infantry starting to arrive at the bridge, and a bunch of movement tracks for infantry following behind.



On we go then, to see whether our valiant troops can succeed against the evil Russkie T34.....