Ouch! Comment Commander Colonel_K might want to pour himself a stiff Bovril and take a seat before reading the following turn report. In the 25th minute of this nailbiting play-by-comment CMBO contest, the AI-controlled Germans positively savage the small human-orchestrated Tommy infantry force that’s approaching the gates of Nottingheim Castle from the south.
The British push is stymied by the unexpected appearance/involvement of two relatively potent enemy units. Circa T+8, a nine-man kraut security squad emerges from the greenery on the far side of the castle’s approach road. Their aggressive attitude and extra firepower (5 x Kar98k, 3 x MP 40, 1 x MG 42 LMG) quickly tip the skirmish scales in favour of the squareheads. First, Lieutenant Merry is felled by a flurry of incoming.
Later, Forester’s B team lose a man.
The situation deteriorates further when the 250/1 halftrack from the village, which has hurried to join the fun after losing sight of Corporal Whitehand, spots Englanders amongst the trees. By the time the clock hands halt, all of the British infantry units in the vicinity, with the exception of Captain Hood’s six-strong HQ, have been reduced to just two men.
Remarkably, the American component of Arrow Force gets through Turn 25 totally unscathed. Possibly because the enraged feline in the above screenshot can’t depress its gun low enough to target him properly, scared-stiff bazooka man, Corporal Lincoln, survives two point-blank shots.
Fellow tank hunter Corporal Whitehand also gets pummeled by a Panzer and lives to tell the tale. Before dashing downstairs, the airman with the pilfered Panzerschreck can’t resist a parting shot.
Disappointingly, the rocket detonates on the ground beneath the Pz IVJ.
Scouring the turn’s minute-long action movie for other notable events, I see…
…Sergeant Sherwood’s B team reduce the risk of wildfires with a volley of Bren and Lee-Enfield fire.
…the two halves of Sergeant Greenwood’s squad rendezvous in the cramped, brass-strewn interior of Fletcher’s eager-to-be-on-its-way halftrack.
…Costner break contact with the King Tiger while said behemoth turns 180 degrees and begins to tortoise eastward.
…Sergeant Pyle’s Sherman short hunting expedition come to naught.
…Carlson cross paths with a retreating remnant.
…and, in the final seconds of the sixty, ‘friendly’ 25-pounder rounds explode close to Allied units and the Panzer IV (The above image is a composite).
The situation at the start of Turn 26:
Turn 26 orders here, please. Commenters are cordially invited to suggest moves for the following seven unit groups. First come, first served. Order execution is usually Monday morning at 0700 GMT.
(See screenshots for unit locations)
– Captain Hood’s party (Hood’s HQ (6 men), Sergeant Venison’s rifle squad (2 men, low ammo), Forester’s squad (4 men, split), Sergeant Sherwood’s squad (9 men) + Corporal Fletcher’s M5A1 halftrack)
– Lieutenant Marian’s men (Marian’s HQ (4 men) + Sergeant Sherwood’s rifle squad (10 men, split) + PIAT team + 3 inch mortar team)
– Sergeant Bowman’s Archer TD
– Sergeant Johns’ Churchill VIII
– Sergeant Pyle’s Sherman
– Lieutenant Costner’s platoon (2 split inf squads + bazooka team + 1 HT)
– Captain Dale’s party (Six POWs armed with pilfered rifles and pistols) + Corporal Whitehand’s team (Two POWs armed with a pilfered Panzerschreck)
Please start all order comments with ‘ORDER’ and any later revision comments with ‘REVISED ORDER’. This will help me distinguish firm instructions from suggestions and advice.
ORDER: Sergeant Forester (deepest doo-doo squad)
Move rapidly in a crooked J shape:
MOVE FAST southeast past the corner of the rocky glade [13, 4, 4]
MOVE FAST south [13, 4, 3]
MOVE FAST west [13, 2, 3]
MOVE CAUTIOUSLY northwest towards what’s misidentified as “Crew?”
ORDER: Sergeant Forester (other squad)
Cancel any remaining move commands
ORDER: Sgt. Scarlet
SNEAK further east to get level with the house [14, 5, 1]
HIDE.
ORDER: Cpl. Fletcher’s halftrack
MOVE FAST to somewhere helpful on Hood’s left flank [12, 4, 3-4]
Disgorge passengers
ORDER: Greenwood ‘B’
MOVE CAUTIOUSLY northeast into [12, 5, 4]
ORDER: Greenwood ‘A’
MOVE FAST southeast [12, 5, 3]
MOVE CAUTIOUSLY east-northeast [13, 2, 3-4]
FACE north
ORDERS: Lt Costner’s Platoon:-
Costner – RUN to 38, 1, 2.
Lincoln – WITHDRAW to 47, 2, 4. HIDE.
Sgt Alvarez – RUN to 38,1, 2. MOVE to 37, 4, 1 via 37, 5, 1.
Carlson – MOVE to 38, 4, 1 HIDE.
Shanley – TARGET Foxhole location 37, 3, 1.
Olander – RUN to 38, 2, 4. MOVE 38, 1, 2.
Spencer HT – FASTMOVE Via track to 12, 1, 2, ROTATE NE.
ORDER: Sgt Pyle’s Sherman – FASTMOVE to 53, 2, 1.
Then HUNT to 54, 5, 1.
ORDERS: Dale’s Party:-
Dale – Continue AMBUSH at castle entrance 21, 1, 3.
Whitehand – TARGET PZ IV.
ORDER: Bowman’s Archer – ROTATE main gun to NE cnr of
29, 5, 4.
ORDER: Tuck – CEASE FIRE. RUN to 28, 5, 4. HIDE.
ORDERS: Marian’s Platoon:-
Marian –TARGET 37, 3, 1.
Hawthorn’s Mortar – Continue to enjoy the view.
Sherwood – ‘B’ Team HOLD position. ‘A’ Team TARGET 37, 3, 1.
PIAT team – RUN to 29, 1, 4. SNEAK to 29, 2, 4. HIDE.
Welp, that puts the kibosh on denying the enemy access to the castle interior.
The Churchill appears incapable of engaging a forward gear. Again.
> that puts the kibosh on denying the enemy access to the castle interior.
Not necessarily. The nine-man Sicherung squad that crossed the castle approach road this turn is ‘green’ and, assuming it keeps moving SW, may soon find itself under fire from three directions (CW – Forester A, Hood, Venison). Green squads tend to be brittle in CMBO.
Forester B, out on the right, does look to be in deep dung though. If another turn of fire from halftrack, and the unidentified squad at 21,3,2, doesn’t finish them, it will, I suspect, knacker their morale.
The Churchill is ‘moving’ at present and about to begin a short ‘hunt’. ‘Fast move’ would be a quicker movement option, but obviously impacts the tank’s detection abilities.
An unduly optimistic take, if I may say, that overlooks the unharmed (though presumably bewildered) 4-man Security squad in the centre of the circle, and that the only projectile ammo Venison has left is harsh language.
It goes to show the importance of tempo. Instead of destroying the enemy in detail we’re having it done to us. If Forester had arrived a turn or turn-and-a-half sooner then maybe Venison wouldn’t have expended the last his ammo on the Volksturm team, and the two 4-man Security squads would’ve been dealt with by now, and we’d be in a much better situation to survive the onslaught.
Greenwood is going to arrive 30 seconds later than hoped for and at best might find a kill-crazy Venison amongst a shambles of British and German corpses with 1 pint tin mug-shaped divots in them.
I blame Sunderlad and his fate-invoking allusions to Thermopylae.
A bad day at the office, compounded by the unexpected intervention of the 250/1 HT. However it could be tactically successful overall by drawing away the unwanted guests from the castle as there’s little doubt the U.S occupants could have catered for a visit of that scale.
I’m considering sending the remaining U.S HT down the west side of the castle (say to 12, 1, 2) to deter any enemy progress towards the rail bridge and to cover Greenwood’s rear should you wish to continue into the village. I’d like to keep command of it at least for now in case its needed to retake the castle from the north approach.
How do you like those apples?
I suppose the HT is a flexible reserve for now. Will have to wait and see if the Brits get hung up turning the rocky northeast corner of the castle…