The Lions of Lodowice: Turn 8

The waypoints and ambush arcs I plot on behalf of the Comment Commanders at the start of Turn 8 promise fireworks. The Panther’s final path pyramid sits in map square a4W, a spot the IS-2’s commander and gunner plan to watch like hawks as they roll forward onto North Bridge. Better still from the blue team’s perspective, the Panther intends to arrive at its destination arse-first.

Combat Mission: Red Thunder executes the two sets of orders efficiently enough, but for reasons best known to itself decides to grant both heavyweights the visual acuity of elderly rhinos for the duration of the turn.

^ What Panther?

Despite apparently unobstructed LoS to the northerly portion of the pivoting Panzerkampfwagen V, the IS-2 crew fail to notice the backside of the 45 tonne monster switch places with the bow.

^ What IS-2?

Thankfully for the Soviet side, the improbable short-sightedness is mutual.

If the commander of either tank issues a forward ‘hunt’ order at the start of the next turn, I suspect AP rounds will fly.

Elsewhere in Lodowice, waypoint positions rather than LoS system oddities conspire to keep combatants safe.

The SU-100 pushes a little closer to the Vistula, anticipating a Tiger sally into e10NE that never comes.

Said Tiger reverses into an alley before heading back in the direction of Fish Street. The King Tiger loiters, hoping perhaps that the IS-2 will move southward along the riverbank.

The German scouts scamper in the direction of South Bridge.

At T+60 Soviet scouts and a sniper team appear in the map’s top-right corner (The Comment Commanders who started out shepherding the Sherman and T-34 are welcome to issue orders to these new arrivals).

^ Rough guide to AFV movement. See screenshots for current vehicle facings. All AFVs except for the Tiger end the turn stopped.

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