ARCH (germans) vs. Baluka1974 No peeking Baluka

[ARCH]

To start off this is my very first full AAR, so yeah, I hope its up to par with some expectations out there Anyways here we go.

ARCH vs. Baluka1974: A Clash of Titans.

Part 1: I'll be your Huckleberry

I'm always pretty nervous when my opponent chooses the terrain we fight on. It's nothing against my opponent, everybody has their preferences. Me? I like my fresh air and rough countryside.

Hedgerow country? Hah nothin too it.

Forest so thick you can't see your hand in front of your face? Bring it on.


But cities? ... Avoid them like the plague.


In Combat Mission city combat is something I am fairly new too. But any war gamer from instinct knows how brutal it can be. There is a reason why cities are often bypassed. Street by street, block by block, house by house, men and material are expended for mere meters of ground.

And this is where we find ourselves:



A large city in Holland.

Pff will I cower in a fetal position and give up?? NO. Baluka and me are due for a showdown and I am more than happy to oblige.

[ARCH]

Part 2: OCOKA

Key points of Terrain: Left Flank

What first caught my eye was the large Chapel on my left flank:


Whoever controls this piece of real estate has perfect vantage points across the map. Most notably on Hill 001:



And Hill 002:


Unfortunately the Chapel lies closer to Baluka's spawn:



He will have some time to consolidate his position and strengthen it. No doubt he will place FOs here to rain arty on me as much as he pleases. He will most likely put a large portion of his strength here to protect such an important location.

I can't let that happen. Using Fire superiority and armor as a shield for infantry I will need to advance steadily to root him out of here.


The buildings surrounding the Chapel offer good concealment and cover, not to mention they offer LOS on the main road to my spawn and the large fields on his right:


I have to expect a strong AT presence here watching the road.

The fields offer large natural mounds to act as natural trenches:

This could offer concealment for approaching forces on both sides. Not to mention they are good Hull down positions for armor

Key Terrain: Right Flank

On the right lies Hill 001 and Hill 002, This was actually one giant hill but the city was built between them creating a man made valley with great cover for an infantry advance. Hopefully if all goes well I can find an opening in the woods that can offer a surprise flanking maneuver.


The black represents Baluka's probable points of interest (Circled) along with avenues of approach.




Key Terrain: The Middle



The middle will be a holding position for me. If I try to advance with armor it could easily be bogged down with AT fire. Even with artillery progress would be a meat-grinder. Because of all the possible kill zones, I only want to take control of key buildings and hold down as many of Baluka's troops as possible. If I can get him to keep running reinforcements here, I can possibly bleed him white.

(Sorry for no action yet, next part will have some )

[ARCH]

Part 3: Deployments

After looking at the ground I decided to go with:

Infantry:

x1 Battalion of Panzergrenadiers. Mixture of veterans and regulars.




Support:

x7 light 50mm mortars

(2 Companies receive 1 for every platoon within those companies. I have one extra for the Reserves.)

x1 20mm Flak


x1 37mm Flak



x1 Halftrack (for the FO leading the tanks.)

Armour:

x1 Panther. Veteran experience.

x1 Jagpanther. Regular experience.

x3 PzKpfw IV Js. All Regular experience.



My intention is to bring a lot of firepower to bear. But I need support that is fast and is able to deploy as the need arises. The 50mm mortars are a small caliber but they are fast firing and able to put plenty of rounds on target in less than a turn. The armor is a little excessive for my play style, but my infantry need as much cover as they can grab moving from house to house. I'm hoping the Panther and the Jagpanther can provide the extra muscle while the IV Js can provide fire support.

I'm applying the 1/3 rule here. So out of every Battalion, 1 Company will be a reserve. Out of every Company 1 platoon will be a reserve, and out of that 1 squad will be reserve. Hopefully I will engage him with the smallest force possible allowing freedom of movement for my troops while trying to prevent freedom of movement for him.

Also before making contact I will hide my units as much as possible to help increase the chances of surprise attacks.

The initial plan is to have 2 Company on the left to make the first push towards the Chapel supported by the heavy Armour and 1 half-track:


1 Company will be the main reserve company, the Flak canons are part of this Company:

Finally, 3rd Company will recon and engage the Right Flank using the ditches and trees for masking movement. They are supported by the x3 PzKpfw IV Js:

Continued on second post

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Part 4: The First Moves

Left Flank

Ultimate Goal: To take the Chapel and secure the surrounding area.

After the initial first moves the left is pretty quiet so far. No spotting contacts yet.


Men of 1 squad, 1 Platoon jump over a fence in front of the Hull Down Jagpanther




Then I get a few contacts. Nothing special at first, A few split infantry squads scouting ahead. But then something heavy is heard near the Chapel:


My scouts from 2 squad, 2 Platoon spot a 76 barreling into position on the end of the road:


With a quick burst of the machine gun and a HE shell for good measure, Baluka draws first blood.

2nd squad loses one and is pinned


The coaxial gun finishes of the forward scout team.


The pesky 76:


Taking refuge behind the Chapel, the 76 is preventing my Jagpanther from getting revenge, but at the same time my Jagpanther is preventing the 76 from maneuvering around.

The Jagpanther's view:


The 76's view:


I'll have to be pretty slick to burn him out of his hiding place.

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The Right Flank

Ultimate Goal: Scout ahead and engage when making contact, find a weakness in his lines through the dense forest and hills.

Like initially on the left, all's quiet ... too quiet.


3rd company moving into the ditches and forest:


The PzKpfw IV Js move into overwatch positions:




After my scout team was ambushed on the left, another 76 pops out of the forest in front of one of my J's





My Panzer opens fire:


The round bounces! He begins to reload:


The 76 turns to return fire but my Panzer fires first:

---

And gets a Pen!


Guess I can breath again

To be continued..

[enigma6584]

For your first AAR I must say it is superb! Looking forward to following this.

[ARCH]

Thanks!

Sorry if it will be a little slow going but I will definitely keep adding more posts soon

[enigma6584]

Take all the time you need. I know how time consuming and hard these things are to put together.

[ARCH]

The Middle

Ultimate Goal: Secure middle.

In the middle I decided to take squads from 1 Plt, 3 Company and 2 Plt. 2 Company to take up positions in various houses.

2 Plt 2 Company:



1 Plt, 3 Company:





Another heavy sound contact this time in mid. Well so far that's three tanks. looks like Baluka in rushing forward his armour trying to nab as much ground as possible. Maybe he is scared of what I brought to the table. Hehe I'd be scared of fighting me too

[ARCH]

Review of the first 3 minutes

So far, so good. The loss of 3 men + 1 wounded in exchange for a 76 is not too shabby. I am a little bit worried about the chapel on my left so far. Like I expected he rushed and is now strengthening his position. Besides the 76, I noticed a halftrack with infantry + support in that area. Everywhere else has been pretty quiet.

I'm playing rather passively for most peoples taste. But with a large amount of time and the tools I brought to the table I think holding my cards close to my chest can have some advantages. Once he commits forces in one area I can engage with with a small force pinning them there while I take my strength and attack somewhere else. So far he has spread his armour across the map. I can try to take them apart piecemeal.

Command Phase

Keeping with my plan to attack the Chapel (or at least put pressure in that area) I reposition my Panther and a PzKpfw IV J to the left to team up on the lone 76. I leave the Jagpanther where it is as that is keeping him pinned.

Panther:





This little patch of High ground gives the Panther a good vantage point if Baluka decides to make a run for it to save the 76.

PzKpfw IV J:




(With trees not showing) This position offers the best kill shot so far. I give it to the IV J. Fingers crossed

Jagpanther position:



To support this move I set up 2 Company, 1 Plt's 50 mm mortar to start barraging the Chapel:



The view of the Chapel:


I also send my Flaks to help suppress the Chapel:


Everywhere else I keep sending scouts out

[ARCH]

Part 5: The Ambush

Left Flank

Being the smart player that he is, Baluka decides its time to reposition his 76 closer behind the Chapel.




Good news for him, bad for me. I have to move my tanks up again to see if they can get LOS. But two armour sound contacts in the middle move up closer to where my Panther is positioned. Not wanting to position my panther where it can easily be killed I keep it in hull down.



So its up to my PzKpfw IV J and my Jagpanther to kill the 76.



Luckily there is plenty of cover from the two contacts in the middle so my IV J won't have to worry about retaliation if I move it forward.
I find a position on the road that offers a good side shot. If that fails hopefully I can force the 76 to move into my Jagpanthers LOS.

Blue: Sherman 76
Green: Jagpanther
Red: Panzer IV J

I make the move supported by Panzergreandiers of 3 Plt, 2 Company:

Since the J has a horrible turret rotation I give it a target arc so it already be ready to fire.

When in position the IV J aims and fires


The round bounces


The 76 pops smoke and turns to escape.

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My Jagpanther patiently waits in position. The smoke blocks my view so I have no clue where the 76 is moving too.

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Then out of the smoke comes the 76 In view of my Jagpanther!


He fires!


The round sails over my hiding Panzergrenadiers


And hits its mark!

[enigma6584]

Bravo!