Round 6
Game No 1
Date: Nov 04
Author:  Glider
Game  Dexter (Axis) vs Glider  (USA)

As the men of the Henderson Combat Team climbed onto their Shermans for yet another drive to the front, little did they know that the bitterest fight of the entire war was waiting just around the corner.

Their task appeared simple, to support a green battalion that was threatening to break under increasing enemy’s pressure.  What they did not know was that they would be facing one of the Wehrmacht’s battle-hardened battlegroups – Kampfgruppe Dex.

As always, the initial drive was uneventful, with two groups of mixed green/elite units advancing from the west, one heading towards the Warboys Village railway station and the main force travelling along the west-east road towards the fateful Vulture’s crossroad.

The railway station group met the enemy immediately, and lost about 20 men in hand-to-hand fighting with elite German stormtroopers (see Dexter-Glider1.jpg).  Thanks to timely support provided by on-board mortars and tanks they managed to drive the enemy off and secure a strategically important road linking them to the centre and the Vulture’s crossroad. This group kept sending reinforcements to the threatened centre, somehow managing to provide support just when it was needed.

The central group was not so lucky… they managed to reach the crossroad and started deploying machine guns when a sudden storm of fire coming from the eastern side of the clearing decimated leading squads. A terrible firefight ensued with Shermans lending support and Germans launching attack after attack through patches of wood on both sides of the crossroad.  Most of the green troops ran away quickly, but elite soldiers continued to exchange fire at 30 meters, fighting to the last man.  That is when German artillery started falling… a seemingly endless rain of 81mm shells, exploding in treetops and showering advancing reinforcements with deadly splinters.

During one of many bloody small attacks and counterattacks, a US elite platoon overran a part of the German front line.  Before the last three survivors were driven back, they managed to verify that one of the Germans they bayoneted was an artillery observer.  Every soldier now looked up to the low grey sky in hope, expecting the dreadful barrage to slacken.  Indeed it did… after 10 more minutes of fiery rain of death,

Thanks to the fact that US troops reached the crossroad first, they managed to set up eight bazooka teams, three Shermans and an M8 howitzer carriage ready to fire at any German tanks foolish enough to emerge from the woods.  And emerge they did, but, despite the odds being so heavily stacked against them, almost every German tank managed to take out one or two of the US ones before succumbing.

As an entire company of elite German reinforcements was observed approaching the crossroad, the situation appeared to be critical.  The morale was not improved by reports that three of our own tanks wasted several minutes trying to go through an impassable area of woods and would have to backtrack.

The moment of the terrible trial arrived.  Just as the artillery fire was slackening and the US on-board mortars felt safe enough to deploy, the German company arrived, overrunning the entire US right wing, killing two platoons and fighting its way deep into the US rear area. Only desperate attempts by previously broken and rallied green troops, mortar crews and arriving tanks managed to slow down and finally stop the berserker Germans.  The last line of defence, two decimated, broken, routed and rallied green squads were the real heroes, managing to stop the German elite troopers just as they were about to break out.

The remainder of the game consisted of two completely spent forces swinging ineffectually at each other, broken squads running away as soon as the first shot was fired.  Finally, both the US and the German commander agreed to a ceasefire.

Here I have the opportunity I was waiting for - to thank Ian once again for the enormously interesting tournament he gave us, and for all the effort he is putting into all the other tournaments of his.

Also, I want to thank my opponent, Dexter of the infamous CMHQ PL club, for providing me with the absolutely hardest-fought game of my CM career !

I love this game more and more every time I play it.  CMBO still reigns supreme as far as I am concerned.  Tino's Raiders were a valiant and challenging force for the Germans.  There were two big swings of luck and one awesome gun placement that won the battle for Kelly's Heroes... Big Joe was in charge of infantry movements and managed to get two platoons in prime position hidden in trees right where two platoons of Germans rushed across open ground taking heavy losses along the way.  That was a grand bit of luck.  Oddball and Moriarty manged to keep all the armor safe as they avoided fighting the German armor all together choosing to lob HE shells at the German infantry instead.  Finally Crapgame was supposed to be carrying a .50 cal but decided to man the 57m AT gun instead.  The location of the gun was perfect, taking out no less than four German vehicles before he was done (none of the other guys will ever hear the end of that one).  Anyway, Kelly and the boys look forward to moving further into German territory
 

Ian
That is wonderful that you sacrifice all this time to do something like this!!  I have met many people and now are new friends
from your tournaments!!  I regret losing but to very good all friend like Chris it is a pleasure, and we fought to the death!
It is an honor and a pleasure Ian
Many thanks
Ron Hoover

My game with von Hoover has ended. Score Axis(me) 66 Allies(von hoover) 30. A tactical for me.

A very good game.  My men rushed for the center building and met with US troops and wasted them as they approached the tree line.  My guys
were dug in the trees and bldg. Same for my left. I rushed men and tanks over there with shreks on board and dealt with his HT's that appeared on
the road and his inf as they hopped off the burning HT's. My right was a bit weak but managed to hold it. My 105mm arty was doing some good this
game..My tanks on the right all had their guns destroyed except for my Stug42 which was holding the road and all approaching tanks.... I never
lost control of the flags but didn't manage to get his as I sat back instead to hold the center ones.

A very enjoyable game...
 

My force was totally not built for close range battles. After nearly losing the round 1 battle I decided to copy some of tactics used so succesfully by my enemy of the first round (Badger).  We both kept only minimal troops to guard the 2 flags which were in the setup zone. The rest of the troops raced for the center flag in round one.  I was a few seconds faster and when his Stugs loaded with infantry arrived in turn 2 my infantry lying in the woods routed most of his tankriders.  In turn 3 his Stugs started to hammer the woods in which my infantry was, but then my tanks arrived and hit his Stugs in the back and within a few seconds destroyed 3 and immobilized the 4th.  After this violent clash Snakerensky surrendered.  I admit my victory was more luck, than brilliant tactics - if his troops had been a bit faster in the 1st turn, or his Stug, which he directed against my incoming tanks had fared a little better, the whole thing might have ended the other way round.    Total casualties were 66 Axis (21 dead) vs 19 Allies (4 dead)

Thanks to Vulture for organizing all this for us and to Snakerensky for his fast turn speed and good gamesmanship.

Wolfgang "Wolfi-S"

At very first rounds of the game I occupied flag on the northern hill and flag on a middle of the map.  To the middle flag I rushed with motorized troops and then I stucked around the flag like a burdock.  I got few sound contacts from BeatGuys tanks and halftracks and after a while his infantry tried to take the middle flag from me.  I got better initiative and I didn't have much problems to keep that flag.  Actions around both, north and south, flags on a hill were nothing but friendly mortar fire from both sides.  Soon after turn 10 my hiding panzerscreck teams took out one of his Shermans and a Priest.  At turn 13 my opponent surrendered."

It was a peaceful drive through the night for the men of the Henderson Combat Team when an unconcealed vehicle headlight swept over them from down the road. A quick exchange of glances, few shouted orders and, with the skill only surviving veteran soldiers have, they jumped from their Shermans and deployed around two old houses which dominated that stretch of the road. While the machinegun was being set up in one of the houses, flanking security platoons started advancing towards two strangely similar hills, called Twin Peaks by the locals. The eastern peak was seized without a glitch and GIs placed their mortar by a quiet bottomless pond  but chatter of an MG42 persuaded their western colleagues to stay in the woods and rethink further advance.
        Their decision was soon proved to be wise since the sound of rumbling tank engines confirmed that the MG42 was not without friends. The exchange of mortar and machine gun fire that followed only created a longer list of casualties but both sides remained firmly in control of their positions. The German even felt secure enough to try to flank the Americans but those who left the safety of the western of the Twins never came back home to Magdeburg.
        Meanwhile, at the eastern flank it was the other way around... the GIs had the high ground and rained mortar shells on seemingly countless German machine guns in the woods below.
        After several probes in the centre which ended rather violently in a tank clash that left one US and two German tanks burning, the American commander felt safe enough to send infantry and tank reinforcements east and try to drive Germans from the eastern wood. Despite extremely close support provided by three Shermans the infantry platoon soon decided that there were healthier environments and bolted for the rear (see photo taken by the livid commander).
        Both sides remained where they were, attrition claiming more lives and tanks every turn... somehow, in the end, when the dust started to settle, the US position was a bit better and their heap of body bags a bit smaller. It was a victory... kind of

Had a great game against Jobooo. We sorta just poked and prodded each other on the southern side of the hill until around turn 10. I started an advance on the middle, as matter of fact so did my opponent.  Dispite several arty barrages and the personal redecorating touches of a 251/16 flamer half-track my tommies held the centre and the southern hill after experiencing some heavy fighting with Jerry.

This one was a series of close combat battles in the dark of night punctuated by an endless barrage of artillery imported from both sides of the battlefield.  Hessians Battalion of the 21st Panzer Division collided with Tailend Bryan's 2nd Battalion Light Infantry for a bloody brawl that
wouldn't be decided until the very end.  The battle was in such close quarters that at one point a German Stug actually smashed into a British
Daimler.  Hill South was a graveyard in the end littered with the dead and dying of over 4 platoons of men from both sides and the burning husks of 5 AFV. At dawn, it appeared the remnants of my once proud Afrika Corps had won a tactical victory by controlling 6 of the 11 objectives.  It was a great
dual that lasted to the very end.

Picture Caption: Shot from Unt Larmen's Glory Cam as he removes the final Sherman V from Hill South.

In the dark, men are the heroes.  A bazooka in the cover of night is every bit as deadly as a King Tiger when comes to killing armor.  Kelly's Heroes moved fast and took the high ground on both sides of the map right away forcing the Nazis to the buildings in the middle.  Though they fought bravely the Nazis were soon surrounded and systematically destroyed.

Jim was a fine opponnent with great turn speed.  Thanks Jim for a great game.

This was a good game!!!  The first ten turns my infantry were holding their own against his wave of men.  His Ht's were ripping my guys apart.  I never spotted any tanks for the first ten turns, just men, HT's and some AT-guns.  For most of the game our infantry were battling it out on the two sides.  I held the center flag pretty much the whole game.  His tanks came on turn 10.  My PZIIIJ KO'd a priest on the road and my StugIIIG KO'd a Sherman as well.  The Iron Cross goes to the crew of my Puma for taking out 2 M10's while being shot at repeatedly.  It's a wonder they missed. Then the Puma defends and holds a flag.  My StugIIIG and some infantry made a last desperate attack on his main flag but weren't able to take it, instead we settle for a draw on that one.  Another battle to my left was between a Stug42 and his Sherman 105.  We traded shots with no damage until he knocked out my gun.  Why weren't they using HC rounds!!!???  A very good game I must say.   The Fuhrer will be proud.

Bootie surrendered his remaining badly mauled 1SS LAH units. My ColdStream Guards are in control of the entire A.O..... Special thanks would go to my 2 Engineer platoons...who bravely "held them by the nose" while my attached armor and supporting infantry "kicked them in the arse".  A lot of jolly good fun along with intense moments of drama.

God, that's the spirit!

DevilThomas