Greybeard looking for a big bash

[klanx171]

I thought I would make an update here on this massive battle being waged between me and Greybeard.

At 50K points each neither of us went short.

I bought elite troops (French Foreign legion) he bought elite troops (all sorts from marine commandos, special forces types, complete with snipers.)

He bought those elite Swedish tanks with no turret (very hard to kill and massive platoon carrying troop transports) I bought a few leopard 1's.

I bought lots of mobile arty and ammo to boot, he bought even bigger arrty with far more boot than me, ouch!

I bought transport helo's and some ground attack fighters, he bought kick ass AA guns.

The location, downtown Berlin (amazing map)

We have only played about 12 turns but its been a slaughter.

I rushed my troops forward as fast as possible in the first turns, while my arty shelled likely approach routes, choke points and the main bridges crossing the rivers of Berlin. Most of my Fighting force were in old style APCs, no cover and as such I had managed to get as many elite troops as possible while skimping on tanks, stocking up on man portable AT and lots of arty.

My Choppers drooped whole platoons at crucial points to block his advance and Greybeard was very cautious so while I didnt hit anything (I thought he like me would have been going hell for leather to get as far forward as possible) got well past the midway part of the map and almost to the last third of the map before I ran into trouble.

It was in the south and my scout cars and light armor found his and we began to engage. I killed some of his, he killed some of mine but I managed to get all my troops into the rough ground around a train station and a bend in the river which blocked the lower quarter of the map, meaning I had good defensive ground and plenty of men to see off the enemy.

In the middle I almost made it to the Brandenburg gate (well inside his territory) but decided to hold back a bit and shell it some more rather than get to far ahead in the center as I was getting hints that he had already made it there (in retrospect I think he hadnt and had i forced the issue it might have been different, also it would have extended my lines and left holes in them) but I dug in on the edge of the park near the Reichstagg and waited. I didnt have to wait long.

My motorized scouts had pushed forward and were linking up near the vital bridges which joined my southern area to the middle when his tanks appeared and began to shoot. Luckily I had arty coming down there as well and was able to drive him back a bit beofre digging in along the edge of the park.

I lost most of scout cars in the fire fight again but it was enough to slow him down and give the troops time to move up and dig in.

In the north I choppered a whole company in and they covered the few bridges over the river there and held the main train station. Their connection to the middle was a bit tenuous but there was enough there to slow him down and I was moving up more Legionaries as quick as I could on the ground.

As the choppers sped away the got fire from his AA but were able to get clear. by now I had the single main bridge well covered and was waiting for him.

His forces soon appeared and I got some quick kills in and he began the hard task of forcing the bridge. He paid for it in a lot of men as I sent my Medium armor out onto the bridge while my arty kept the other side under fire and picked off 5 of his mother sized APCs as they swam the river or were on the bridge itself.

Back in the south the fighting was picking up but I was losing many of my tanks to his well armed "vikings" and "romans" so I pulled the rest back and let him wade through the arty fire. The big guns imobbed a few of his while others got caught in the open by my med armor and picked off. My boats (yes I bought boats) came up the river and provided a lot of spotting without the risk and allowed my arty to zero in right on him, keeping him of balance and I scored some more kills.

In the middle it got nasty about turn 6 when his tanks showed up in force and I had to send in a tank coy, all empty APCs and vehicles to stall him while I moved troops into position around a VH in the trees. I lost a lot of vehicles, managed to take a few with me but his Tanks were hard to kill and deadly shots and it was only a brave platoon of legionaries inhabiting some buildings on the edge of the park which managed to be the vital hinge of the battle, block any quick moves into the gap and hold off several determined attacks which saved the day.

up by the Reichstagg a lone scout squad took out a tank, and APC and a scout car before being driven back.

Foolishly I moved a coy of troops up to try and cover the gap in the open ground but it was to late and here was the main thrust of GBs attack, ouch ouch ouch.

In the north several of my squads sat with zeroed weapons and zero range and let his forces roll past once he drove me off the bridge, they pay off was almost an entire platoon wiped out by a single squad, two monster APCs and a clear view of what he was shipping across the river.

Also my ATGMs kept him cautious on the long streets and so while the backup Coy was being choppered in to support him, my units around the train station were being driven back while taking his vehicles one by one as he advanced.

All this time I was moving my arty to avoid his CB fire and while I lost a few most moved and kept on firing, keeping up solid rain of fire to cover the main spots. (Id love to know if I was on target or not when this is over Steve).

By turn 12 the line in the center is starting to bend, in the south I have begun a counter attack with a fresh Coy sweeping in while the battered coy does a re-org. In the north its touch and go as he advances on my position but I am keeping my squads well to the flank of his main advance and rushing them in behind his fire so he is taking hits there and making headway but at a high price.


In the center its all his tanks and I have few left, some scattered ATGMs but plenty of squads deployed at ambush points to check any advance, and all my arty is now focused there on main attack, if he gets through it will not be for lack of trying.

To his credit Greybeard has been a mean Opp and I think his only mistake was letting me get so far ahead, otherwise its been a tough time keeping him off my back and holding the vital choke points to stop him breaking out, and he may do that anyway if I cant find a way to stop his horde of tanks which now occupy the main ground in front of the Reichstagg and seem intent on either linking up with the northern attack or driving for the VHs in the middle.

All of my Boats are sunk, but my arty is mostly intact and his lack of Airpower has allowed me to shift my own AA into support positions.

I estimate my chance of winning at 60% if I can prevent a breakthrough, and 35% if he gets through my lines of defense.

Steve you are a tough SOB and I never get an easy time with you but its always a great battle and its only turn 12.

[wigam]

Great DAR bro. :)

[klanx171]

Greybeard is being his usual hard to kill self so I am thanking my lucky stars I took the French Foreign legion, gad they are tough buggers, they get shot to bit fall back rally up and go surging back in, they are absolutely brilliant on the counterattack even with dug in enemies, and they eat tanks for breakfast, almost all of my tank kills are from squads not tanks or ATGMs.