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.