What in heaven’s name do they teach them at Bovington these days? The British Crusader gets three chances to pot the PSW in Turn 10 and fluffs all of them.
True, the armoured car is half a kilometre away, moving, and partially obscured by terrain and smoke, when a couple of the shots are fired, but still, if substitutions were permitted in the CM Olympics, I reckon Fishbreath would be seriously considering replacing his talentless turretman right now.
Looking on the bright side, the trio of misses look to have scared the bejesus out of the AC. Seemingly intent on taking up an overwatch position circa B14, the 8×8 motored into view early in the turn and was quickly spotted and engaged by the cruiser tank. The first miss triggered some hurried smoke popping, the second and third a rapid reversing manoeuvre behind the hovel at A14.
Although the alarmed PSW didn’t return fire – possibly because it failed to spot its assailant – it did notice the two Tommy half squads at E25 and decide to give them something to think about. When the turn ends, said British units are ‘taking cover’ and one of them – 2 Squad B – is ‘pinned’.
If the PSW hadn’t hosed their weedy position this turn, 2B and 1B might have broken up a small-scale German advance just north of the large building at H20. One of the three German units involved in this sly push is the ATR rifle team.
Are the other two (?) infantry squads? We may find out next turn as British infantry and support units east of the road advanced purposefully this sixty.
* * *
The French Crusader gunner doesn’t exactly cover himself in glory this turn either. When the Gallic trundler ascends the bank, and finds its intended target – the Panzer III – hidden by smoke and dust, it opts to ignore its ‘focus here!’ armour arc, and have a shy at something else.
The something else in this instance is the Jerry halftrack, which is motoring towards the village centre when clocked. At T+43 a 57mm AP round strikes sun-baked dirt rather than sun-warmed steel.
Before the Crusader can fire again at the now reversing HT, a muzzle flash on Mosque Mount reveals the position of the smoke-veiled Panzer (The Pz III has slung another shell at the broken ATR team) and the French gunner reverts to his intended target. Unfortunately, the Crusader driver likes to do things by the book, and chooses to execute the ‘scoot’ part of the unit’s ‘shoot-and-scoot’ before his comrade can aim and fire.
Amongst Team France’s units, none have it hotter this turn than Sgt Vidalies’ depleted rifle squad. On the receiving end of close-range SMG and rifle fire, and the odd stick grenade, they are possibly lucky to only take one casualty during the sixty.
When the clock stops they are down to five men and focused on fighting off a desperate/mad/optimistic counterattack from a ravaged Jerry infantry squad. Just ten metres away, the Axis counter-attackers have been reduced to three men, and are getting no support from the pinned (?) unit in the building behind them. I’d say the odds were decidedly in Vidalies favour, if it wasn’t for the weapon icons ringed in the above screenshot.
Elsewhere in the French arena at T+60…
After molesting the Panzer for much of the turn (Sadly, in CMx1 it’s impossible to give mortar teams detailed fire orders such as “Fire 5 rounds at X, then do Y”) the French mortar is down to 13HE and 1S.
Broken yet uninjured, Corporal Bignon’s ATR team is crawling southward, under small arms fire.
Also broken, the sole survivor of 2B looks to be a few metres from relative safety.
No French unit currently has eyes on the HT.
(Next order deadline: Saturday night)
BORING, BORING KINGDOM UNITED !
It’s a pity that being hidden and alive is less exciting than being machine gunned down, but I’m happy to win the deception and surprise game even if it’s not as riveting.
TEAM GB DISCUSSION
Clearly, I should have gotten angrier in my halftime pep talk! I believe that’s now six shots on the PSW with zero hits. I suppose we’re making up for the smartness of the counterpunch that finished the Panzer.
We know where the threats are: the PSW and anti-tank team, mainly, but the halftrack as well. Perhaps it’s time to be a bit bolder and advance the Crusader a bit, with the aim of flushing and finishing off the PSW.
Until we take out the halftrack it’s dangerous to make any big moves. Think we can get our AT rifle over to a firing position against the psw or HT?
If I wasnt scared of the psw 20mm I would say can the tank get eyes on the building at H19? If you can fire on them from the west, our flank squad can come up the hill from the east, and we can occupy the hotel at H20 to close the cauldron. But that requires us not to lose the crusader.
I was hoping the AT rifle team would be in a good firing position before the end of the last turn, but it wasn’t to be. I’ll probably have them crawl over the top of the hill and see what they see, with a ‘target armor’ order to keep them focused on the halftrack, assuming it’s still there.
Given the limited time remaining, advancing the Crusader might be wise if it gets us a crack at the halftrack (or even tempts the halftrack to shoot at it, rather than the infantry). F24 is probably a bit too bold with both the PSW and the German AT team unmolested, but hunting forward about halfway there might net another chance at the PSW or a first try at the halftrack.
I’ll push Noel and the Bren boys forward “over the top” to give the sausage munchers something to shoot at – the “fix” part of our equation, if you will – should give you the opportunity to crank up your tank and flank away. What do you think?
As for our mortar.. can we fire it now? Do I have any available targets? And are they in range? Please give Baldrick an order before the deadline, thanks. I would choose to bombard their AT infantry as priority number 1 (to keep our tank safe) but it’s your call sir.
TEAM FR DISCUSSION:
I think after all of this is over, our national anthem should be changed to a little ditty I like to call “Oh Well, It Could Have Been Worse”.
We now have four (4) turns/minutes left. I haven’t done the calculations, but I’m sure we’re behind Team GB on points. So this turn or next turn it may be guts and glory time, to see if we can get lucky enough to a) capture the village and b) bag the Panzer. As much as I would hate to see more harm come to Vidalies, Bignon, et. al., opportunities for CM Gold come but once every four years.
So, some thoughts:
– Bit annoyed with my Crusader lads, and I think there needs to be more shooting and less scooting. It’s a huge risk, especially with the Panzer no longer distracted by the ATR. But we need those points.
– The mortar’s sadly proving to be ineffective (although may have saved the ATR), so I think we redirect it elsewhere, maybe after a ~10 second wait to give a little bit of cover to the Crusader. Either soften up the H20 building a bit more, or have it looking closely for the return of the halftrack.
– Does our Bren still have a gunner? Would peeking around to the west of the J24 building provide any support to our infantry at all?
– Our J-column squad could also take advantage of the brief disappearance of the Half-track to pop-up, hunt slightly west and help out H-column, then drop down again out of sight.
In other words, I’d rather lose to the Huns than those Pimm’s sipping, cucumber sandwich nibbling toffs!
>> Does our Bren still have a gunner?
Targeting commands and cover arcs no longer appear in its order panel so possibly/probably not.
I am afraid that mortar fire against a building might prove less than effective, unless we are trying for general suppression. Even then I expect it to be on the lighter side though.
Bren only has a gunner, so any kind of active maneuver is composed of this brave man jumping between positions, which is, let’s say, not advantageous in term of reaction time.
but, having said that, let’s try both of those things, since we are not about to lose to freaking Brits because we have no guts. Allonz-y!
Although you might want to retract some of our grunts. HE is notoriously bad at identifying friendlies.
@Tim ORDERS FR Bren and mortar team:
Mortar: If they have LoS to H20 building – let’s harass it with HE. If not – let’s move to H32 and do the same, but this is suboptimal, of course.
Bren: Fast Move to K24. Stop, facing H20. Shoot at whatever that moves after
Let’s try and bet on the fact that the Bren gunner, who temporarily drives the vehicle, can switch back to the fun part of the vehicle on his own. Maybe the system does not understand orders for empty positions, even though the seat switching is possible.
Otherwise we will draw some fire, if nothing else. Hopefully not so much, as to lose our brave boy and the precious vehicle
@Tim FRENCH F1 & F3 ORDERS:
Crusader: Maintain target arc on Panzer and HUNT to C24
ATR: Continue to A26/bottom of the slope, then SLOW to E26
Squad 1 (H column): BRING OUT THE PLASMA CANNON. I kid. Just do your best to not die. Cancel any HUNT/MOVE orders towards H20 building, so if they survive, they stay where they are.
Squad 3: (J column): Target arc encompassing G22-I19. HUNT west, staying below the slope, then HIDE
@Tim BRITISH GB2 ORDER:
Please target the DAK AT infantry team with Baldrick’s mortar tube and fire away, thanks. If he can’t do that for whatever reason, then please target the next available sausage muncher who he CAN fire at, thanks. Of course, if he can’t fire at anything or anyone (yet), then keep calm and carry on in place until he can do so, thanks.
As for Noel Edmonds and the Bren boys it’s “over the top” time lads! Or rather, trundle him fast and forward up that hill like Kate Bush would do. I was going to say until he’s “hull down” but of course he can’t do that, since he’s “all hull” like someone who was born in Hull and currently living in Hull. So instead, make sure his entire hull is sitting flat atop the hill (in the “brush” if possible) and go no further (I think it’s about 23m forward from his current position but it’s hard for me to see exactly). Yes, put him there, “trousers down” as it were, awaiting to be shot at. Please ensure his hull stops at a flat and down position once over the top after running up that hill with Kate or someone will take a pot shot at his soft and inviting raised underbelly sticking up in the air as he broaches the hilltop. Hopefully this will “fix” Jerry’s attention onto him (instead of anyone else) especially Fish’s tank, who I believe is about to have a “quick flank”, due to Edmonds’ heroism and very possible sacrifice. Hopefully it won’t come to that though, and Noel can start laying down a suppressive Bren barrage of Top 40 hits with his gunner Private Alan Partridge, from this new “fixed pillbox DJ position” of iron coffin DJ doom, thank you very much.
ORDER GB1 (part 1)
@Tim: if I recall correctly the way you indirect fire on map artillery is the the hq targets a point, the mortar targets that same point (even if out of Los), and then the hq cancels their attack.
If that is the case, then please have the HQ call down fire on the locations Clive picked out. If none of those are availabilities, and the rough area where the halftrack was last spotted is in sight of hq, please have hq fire the mortar at that.
ORDER GB1 (part 2)
Team at K24: QUICK to K21 then CONTACT up the hill towards the axis position (H19).
Team crawling to K20: Adjust to K21. TARGET ARC the nearby buildings, out to say 120 meters.
Two pinned squads: HIDE and PAUSE 45,then FAST and HIDE to the wall at E24.
Squad at J23: FAST to H22, then FAST to H20
Squad at H21: Be close enough to H20 to shoot anything inside.
The idea is H21 is overwatch on the hotel, J23 is the assault team, and K20 and K24 hit the flank
Note: Once the HQ has marked the mortar target it goes back to HIDE and an 80m arc
ORDER GB3:
Crusader: hunt to F28, then fast without straight line to crest the hill, then once on the upper elevation level, turn to face due north. Target arc from roughly J8 to A15, or whatever is required to cover the last known position of the halftrack and the last known position of the PSW. (@Team GB: once we knock out the PSW, I’ll shift targeting to fire in support of an infantry advance.)
AT rifle team: continue crawling over the top, until the last-known position of the halftrack is in view.