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| 5 MAY 2008 at 10:46pm |
Dale HCommander
Posts : 1217
Joined: 25 AUG 2004
Location: US, Oregon
Status : Offline |
[u][b]Chapter Ten: The Russian third turn.[/b][/u]
Here is a pic at the end of his Turn:
[img]http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn167/rainrain_bucket/TFA_034.jpg[/img]
The red outline shows the Demoralized Finnish unit retreated (red arrow) off the victory objective. The numbers on the Unit Counters indicate the number of vehicles in the stacks. The Hex Info Area shows two BT-5's & the immobilized T-37 on the Victory Objective. The blue arrow shows the Finnish sqaud with the Molotov cocktail (MC).
Here's what happened:
The Russian commander had called in his third mortar section at the end of his last Turn. He decided to use it this Turn. If he had advanced up the road to be in a position to spot for it he would not have had enough Movement Allowance (MA) to call in the strike so, he called it in before he moved up.
He got lucky! The mortar barrage impacted twice on the Victory Objective & once adjacent to the first Finnish squad east of the road. In HPS Squad Battles (SB) artillery rounds have an explosive radius & can damage units adjacent to their impact.
The infantry platoons in the clear area east of the road have advanced without casualties & the one farthest east is in contact. The platoon to the west of the road is advancing without the need to end On Ground because they face no threat.
As for the the tank company: one T-37 advanced next to the objective hex & fired one MG impulse into it. The Finnish squad sitting on the Objective returned fire & as a result they became Spotted. The mortar barrage had Disrupted them!
Two BT-5's moved up to join that T-37 & [b]all three stacked together[/b] assaulted the Finnish squad by moving into the objective hex & the Finns were forced to retreat. The T-37 became Immobile as a result of the assault. The two BT-5's had some MA left over & used it to fire again at the retreating squad & caused it to become Demoralized.
In SB loss of combat effectiveness is incremental. The first step is Disruption. Disrupted units have half the fire value & pay twice the movement cost. Demoralized units have one quarter the Fire Value & cannot move closer to the enemy. Demoralized units require the presence of a Leader in the Hex & a successful Rally attempt to become Disrupted. Disrupted units do not need to Rally to recover but can if in Command Range of a Leader.
One BT-5 advanced above the Objective & another BT-5 was sent to the Objective. The T-37 to the east of the road advanced one hex. I doubt the Finnish squad with the Molotov cocktail will have enough MA to move next to it & throw the cocktails the next turn. The tank company is in good position to advance.
The Russian commander stacked his tanks because he wanted to make sure he could move enough together to assault the Victory Objective.
Things are heating up for sure!
Before the Turn I told the Russian commander I thought he should bypass the Objective & move the tank company down the road. "Why risk it", I said? He just turned to look at me, smiled & winked...
Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it. George Santayana
I'd rather be right than be president. Henry Clay
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| 7 MAY 2008 at 8:37am |
OzgurBudakCenturion
Posts : 6
Joined: 7 MAY 2008
Status : Online | Very good reading guys. Thanks for your efforts. Hope to see more AAR
[image]http://hist-sdc.com/images/spotlights/sb_red_victory/_banner_red_victory_1.jpg[/image]
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| 8 MAY 2008 at 12:31pm |
Dale HCommander
Posts : 1217
Joined: 25 AUG 2004
Location: US, Oregon
Status : Offline | Ozgur, thanks very much. Hope you had as much fun designing the scenario as we have had playing it. [&o]
Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it. George Santayana
I'd rather be right than be president. Henry Clay
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| 8 MAY 2008 at 7:00pm |
Dale HCommander
Posts : 1217
Joined: 25 AUG 2004
Location: US, Oregon
Status : Offline |
[u][b]Chapter Eleven: The Finnish Third turn.[/b][/u]
Here is an image at the end:
[img]http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn167/rainrain_bucket/TFA_036.jpg[/img]
The purple arrows show where some of the Finnish mortar rounds landed. The impact labeled number one resulted in one Russian casualty in the squad adjacent to the impact & the squad also became Pinned. Impact number two caused identical results to the Russian squad (labeled P for Pinned on the Unit Counter) adjacent to the impact. Impact number three caused no damage & there were no more casualties from indirect mortar fire. Spotted fire is pretty deadly!
The red arrow shows fire from the Maxim MG into the Russian platoon advancing in the clear resulting in a casualty & Pinning of the squad. Those Pinned can be Rallied by a Leader or Recover (become Disrupted) automatically if close to a Leader. The most eastern Finnish works is empty now.
Here is what Boggit wrote about the Turn:
[i]Turn 3
Kortavaala looked through the trees. The T-37 that had fired at them had pushed on through the pine trees towards where Corporal Maikkonen would be taking up position with the other 5 men remaining in his command. He guessed they had fallen back, since for the last five or six minutes he had heard nothing but gunfire from Maikkonen's direction and it was sporadic now. Clouds of smoke, presumably from a burning tank was wafting up through the trees and blowing along with snowflakes in the breeze. The Russian mortars sounded even closer now and he guessed that Maikkonnen - if he were still alive - would be enduring the barrage too. As if the tanks weren't enough...
Looking east of Kortavaala's position, Pajari had remained to continue directing mortar fire onto the advancing Russians. It had been more effective than the last fire mission with several Russian squads appearing pinned by it. There was one major disadvantage. It had in part fallen squarely onto Taatavaala's position just as the Russians were getting in close. Taatavaala's disorganised command, which unknown to Pajari was now also flanked, suddenly withdrew. "Damn!": Pajari was suddenly shocked into the realisation that his decision to remain to direct Battalion's mortar fire had now left him as the front line of the Finnish defences!
Fortunately for Pajari, Kortavaala realised that his platoon commander had remained behind and was facing Russian infantry alone. "The bloody fool!"; Kortavaala thought; "What do I do? We're bypassed. Sisu is all very well, but it's a dead fool who becomes a hero for nothing." He called to his men, "C'mon Boys! We've left Pajari behind, let's get the stupid sod before the Russians kill him." As one they hurtled back through the tall pines back to Pajari just in time to see a Russian squad some 80 metres away. Just as he arrived he spotted tracer from the southern MG section arch over the snowy ground towards another Russian group - at least they weren't totally alone.
"You stupid git, Pajari! You're going to get us killed with stupid stunts like that!" Pajari smiled. Kortavaala always spoke his mind and didn't care if he were insubordinate. Pajari didn't mind either, Kortavaala had been with him since the start of this war and he knew that he was utterly reliable and a damned good soldier. Formerly the platoon sergeant, Merja Kortavaala had been twice demoted for insubordination to senior officers, but he still remained the de facto section leader for the lack of a replacement NCO. No one ever queried it. Neither would it be the first time Kortavaala had saved Pajari from being a dead hero and hopefully this wouldn't be the last either!
Out of breath from his dash, Kortavaala gasped: "We're flanked by tanks to the south and I think Maikkonen's had it!" Pajari made a wry smile and said softly: "It's OK, Merja. Taatavaala's lot have bugged out too. We're the front line now!"
"Bastard!" Kortavaala growled under his breath. Taking in the situation he ordered: "Section! To your front, left: Open fire!"[/i]
It will be a race for the objectives.
Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it. George Santayana
I'd rather be right than be president. Henry Clay
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| 8 MAY 2008 at 8:05pm |
BoggitColonel
Posts : 3525
Joined: 18 JUL 2003
Status : Offline |
ORIGINAL: OzgurBudak
Very good reading guys. Thanks for your efforts. Hope to see more AAR
@Ozgur[]
Thanks for the kind words. I'm sure Dale will also be glad you're enjoying it.
A big thankyou for all your hard work in creating a lot of the scenarios for the game too.[] BTW Any chance you'll be adding some more scenarios on TF Echo4 or the like sometime soon??[][]
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| 8 MAY 2008 at 8:42pm |
streets2311Centurion
Posts : 81
Joined: 1 FEB 2004
Location: 0
Status : Offline | Really enjoying this guys, I think you just helped me decide what my next purchase will be. I have a question, do the Finnish reinforcements have MC? If yes I think that the Russian armor is awfully exposed and should hold at the tree line before the 2nd objective and wait for infantry support. If not I'd try to take it with the 37 and force the infantry into the open. Also the Finnish commander is doing well delaying all those commie grunts from coming up to support with the very limited resources available. Bypassing that MG may prove to be a big problem.
Looking forward to the next installment!
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| 8 MAY 2008 at 9:58pm |
Dale HCommander
Posts : 1217
Joined: 25 AUG 2004
Location: US, Oregon
Status : Offline | Thanks, streets2311. Enjoy!
Yes, the Finnish reinforcements come with Molotov cocktails. Don't forget about the Molotov cocktails on the map & on their way to the Objectives already.
So, you think the armor should stick around? I'll ask the Russian commander about this.
You think the Finns are pulling off a good delaying action, eh? They could have stayed in their works & pasted the Russian infantry out in the open. But they decided to pull back. Was it too early? Have they punished the Russians enough?
Time will tell.
ORIGINAL: streets2311
Really enjoying this guys, I think you just helped me decide what my next purchase will be. I have a question, do the Finnish reinforcements have MC? If yes I think that the Russian armor is awfully exposed and should hold at the tree line before the 2nd objective and wait for infantry support. If not I'd try to take it with the 37 and force the infantry into the open. Also the Finnish commander is doing well delaying all those commie grunts from coming up to support with the very limited resources available. Bypassing that MG may prove to be a big problem.
Looking forward to the next installment!
Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it. George Santayana
I'd rather be right than be president. Henry Clay
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| 9 MAY 2008 at 6:05am |
OzgurBudakCenturion
Posts : 6
Joined: 7 MAY 2008
Status : Online |
ORIGINAL: Boggit
@Ozgur[]
Thanks for the kind words. I'm sure Dale will also be glad you're enjoying it.
A big thankyou for all your hard work in creating a lot of the scenarios for the game too.[] BTW Any chance you'll be adding some more scenarios on TF Echo4 or the like sometime soon??[][]
Frankly I dont have much time for custom scenarios. Currently working on a new SB title and most of my effort goes there.
I am glad you are enjoying WW. It was fun designing it.
[image]http://hist-sdc.com/images/spotlights/sb_red_victory/_banner_red_victory_1.jpg[/image]
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| 9 MAY 2008 at 8:28am |
TheBigRedOneCenturion
Posts : 144
Joined: 19 MAY 2003
Status : Online | Just out of curiosity, are you playing with Fog Of War on or off?
[i]Site Commander [link=http://tfe4.wordpress.com/]Task Force Echo Four[/link]
SB Forum Moderator and Ladder Custodian [link=http://www.theblitz.org/]The Blitz Wargaming Club.[/link]
[/i]
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| 9 MAY 2008 at 10:00am |
OzgurBudakCenturion
Posts : 6
Joined: 7 MAY 2008
Status : Online |
ORIGINAL: TheBigRedOne
Just out of curiosity, are you playing with Fog Of War on or off?
Looking at the snapshots it looks on Alan.
The early armored charge is a brave move. It completely disrupted the Finnish deployment. However the Russian tanks will be unsupported if Finnish reinforcements arrive in time. Looking forward the next moves.
[image]http://hist-sdc.com/images/spotlights/sb_red_victory/_banner_red_victory_1.jpg[/image]
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| 9 MAY 2008 at 5:02pm |
Dale HCommander
Posts : 1217
Joined: 25 AUG 2004
Location: US, Oregon
Status : Offline | Yes, FOW is on.
Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it. George Santayana
I'd rather be right than be president. Henry Clay
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| 9 MAY 2008 at 5:06pm |
Dale HCommander
Posts : 1217
Joined: 25 AUG 2004
Location: US, Oregon
Status : Offline | Brave...
... or foolhardy![sm=cowboy3.gif]
ORIGINAL: OzgurBudak
The early armored charge is a brave move. It completely disrupted the Finnish deployment. However the Russian tanks will be unsupported if Finnish reinforcements arrive in time. Looking forward the next moves.
Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it. George Santayana
I'd rather be right than be president. Henry Clay
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| 10 MAY 2008 at 11:13am |
Dale HCommander
Posts : 1217
Joined: 25 AUG 2004
Location: US, Oregon
Status : Offline | [u][b]Chapter Twelve: the Russian fourth Turn.[/b][/u]
Here is a pic and the end of the Turn:
[img]http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn167/rainrain_bucket/TFA_037.jpg[/img]
What happened?
Very little action this turn.
All three Pinned squads were united with their Leaders & Rally attempts were successful. They are all Disrupted. They may recover from Disruption but no action is required to do so. The green arrows point to the Rally Button on the Toolbar & to the Leaders who Rallied their units. Rally attempts consume Leader Movement Allowance (MA).
All infantry in the open are now On Ground. The Russian commander made a mistake exposing his infantry to the west of the road & paid the price. They should have ended their movement On Ground. It costs no MA to go On Ground but it does to leave that mode.
The four BT-5 tanks were all exited off the Exit Objective. Each one was worth 12 Victory Points for a total of forty eight. The red highlight surrounds the Exit Objective & it shows the number 48 appearing inside. The yellow arrows show all Victory & Exit Objectives. They are brown indicating the Russians hold them now. The forty eight points exited will remain for the Russian but whoever holds the Victory Objectives at the end of the game will get the points. You must be the last to occupy the Objectives to claim the victory points.
The last running T-37 advanced up the road short of the Exit Objective. It will be a sacrificial lamb delaying the Finns arriving as reinforcements. Finnish reinforcements are scheduled to arrive this Turn.
[i]The Russian commander is intent on issuing orders. I keep glancing at the motionless lumps & the dirty, dark splothches all around them lying in the snow. It is getting cold & I am shivering. Just a few moments ago I thought the noise would never stop.
A quiet moment politely intrudes & I ask him, "Will you keep the tanks around?"
"No," he replies briskly, "they have been ordered to continue on to try to breakthrough to our isolated forces ahead. The infantry will secure the road."
He seems a bit irritable & preoocupied. I decide to leave him alone. I keep looking out at the horror in the field but his glasses are trained on the road. I think he is worried about more Finns showing up.
I am so far from home & I never thought I would be caught up in this. I thought I could stay detached. One minute they are laughing & joking & the next... Well, enough... I can't stop shivering.
It is all up to the infantry now.[/i]
Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it. George Santayana
I'd rather be right than be president. Henry Clay
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| 10 MAY 2008 at 11:17am |
Dale HCommander
Posts : 1217
Joined: 25 AUG 2004
Location: US, Oregon
Status : Offline | Oops.
Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it. George Santayana
I'd rather be right than be president. Henry Clay
|
| 10 MAY 2008 at 4:32pm |
Dale HCommander
Posts : 1217
Joined: 25 AUG 2004
Location: US, Oregon
Status : Offline | [u][b]Chapter Thirteen: The Finnish fourth Turn.[/b][/u]
Here is a pic at the end:
[img]http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn167/rainrain_bucket/TFA_042.jpg[/img]
The Maxim MG team & the Leader sharing the hex who has a sniper rifle fired (red arrows) at the Russians advancing to the west of the road & at the Headquarters stack. No casualties resulted. Sniper rifles are particularly effective against Leaders. The Finnish team in the first works east of the road fired (red arrow) at the Russian squad adjacent & inflicted one casualty. (Ignore the highlighted hex; it has no significance).
Here is Boggit:
[i]Turn 4
Just as Kortavaala gave the order to fire the nearest Russians were even closer. Ducking and diving through the snow covered brush, they were firing and slowly advancing prone or in short dashes. One of Kortavaala's men was hit in the wrist. The bullet exited into his throat killing him instantly, but no one even noticed as the firing increased. Pajari and Kortavaala side by side were firing short bursts at the nearby Russians and so far as Pajari could tell only one had fallen - and he was screaming his head off. Pajari hoped that Taatavaala had rallied his men, but he had no way of knowing.
South of their position the MG team seemed busy. How long could they hold before they were eventually overrun?
A shower of tree splinters hit Pajari's helmet as a burst from the nearest Russian LMG cracked over his head. He grabbed the mike on his radio; "Battalion, where the hell is our backup! We need help - NOW!". The operator replied: "Colonel Autti has sent a supporting platoon, they should be with you shortly..." Pajari hissed: "Well they'd better hurry before we're overrun!"[/i]
Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it. George Santayana
I'd rather be right than be president. Henry Clay
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| 11 MAY 2008 at 5:29pm |
Dale HCommander
Posts : 1217
Joined: 25 AUG 2004
Location: US, Oregon
Status : Offline |
[u][b]Chapter Fourteen: The Russian fifth Turn.[/b][/u]
Here is a pic at the end:
[img]http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn167/rainrain_bucket/TFA_041.jpg[/img]
The Russian platoon Leaders were effective & all have recovered from Disruption! Men will be lost; it is inevitable. However it is not casualties but loss of cohesion as expressed by Disruption, Pinning or Demoralization that really affects combat ability (except when casualties are excessive, of course). Recall fire value of Disrupted & Pinned units is halved & Demoralized units is quartered - this affects all weapons remaining in the squad.
Leaders matter in HPS Squad Battles (SB). Each leader has his own Command Radius. For platoon Leaders it is one hex & for company Leaders it is three hexes. Notice the platoon Leaders stay with their platoons & try to keep each squad within or close to their Command Radius.
This pic shows one Leader & his whole platoon highlighted in red. The orange arrow shows the Leader & the circle encloses his platoon:
[img]http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn167/rainrain_bucket/TFA_038.jpg[/img]
Command depends on Leader quality & distance from the Leader. For example, Disruption recovery is dependent on distance from the Leader. A Leader can only attempt to Rally a Pinned or Demoralized unit by sharing the same Hex. There is also a chance for automatic Recovery from Pinned & Demoralized status also probably depending on the distance from the Leader. Effective command is an essential concept in SB.
The infantry platoons are converging on the roads. The T-37 has fallen back to the second Victory Objective.
Have the Finns been reinforced? Who holds the victory Objectives on the road?
[i]The Russian commander is resolute & issues a barrage of orders in salvos: "Move up... move up... move up...keep going... don't stop... clear the road!!!"
I don't know if they can hear him but I can sense they feel his urgency. The woods offer cover & sanctuary. The tanks are gone. Their firepower might have made the difference but the commander has his orders & orders are orders.
"Go ... go... go." The last is a nearly breathless exhortation.
It is going to be a race to the finish. All depends on sweeping the Finns out of the way.[/i]
Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it. George Santayana
I'd rather be right than be president. Henry Clay
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| 11 MAY 2008 at 8:27pm |
CantataCenturion
Posts : 58
Joined: 20 FEB 2007
Status : Online | The Russian "blitzkrieg" tactics seem to be paying off nicely. It appears that Stalin's purges may have inadvertently left some command talent intact, luckily for his armed forces. The infantry may take some casualties in their exertions, but their quick follow up to exploitation would also appear to be quite successful at this time. With such a rapid advance, the Finns will be hard pressed to contain the situation, even if they get reinforced. Onward to victory, commrade!
As for the Finns, it would seem they are commanded by a somewhat timid leader, which is alarming to say the least, under the circumstances. Retreating from prepared defensive positons so soon in the battle was a big mistake and only serves to embolden the Russian troops, who will quickly have those same fortified positions for themselves, and much more, at little cost! The Finns could have bled the Russians considerably had they held their positions, forcing close combat and hand-to-hand fighting if neccessary. The front line needed to buy time for reinforcements to arrive, but it is unlikely to have been enough time, in this case. Have courage and keep fighting for freedom!
What will happen?? We shall see, we shall see... the suspense here is pretty cool, I think.
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| 11 MAY 2008 at 10:34pm |
Dale HCommander
Posts : 1217
Joined: 25 AUG 2004
Location: US, Oregon
Status : Offline | Cantanta, thanks.
I wouldn't be so sure. The Russian commander has already said that the Finn's fighting withdrawal complicates his plan. I will ask him again about it.
If the Finns had stayed they ran the risk of being swamped by the Russian infantry & the Finnish commander couldn't be sure the tanks would leave. They needed those Molotov cocktails.
I am sure if the Finns had stayed in their works they would have dished out a huge helping & may have pinned the Russians in the clearing to the east of the road. Who knows?
The Russians have been very fortunate so far. They have maintained cohesion with the loss of relatively few men.
Time will tell.
I have learned never to underestimate my opponent. I do know if I were the Finnish commander I would have pulled back also.
Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it. George Santayana
I'd rather be right than be president. Henry Clay
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| 12 MAY 2008 at 5:48pm |
Dale HCommander
Posts : 1217
Joined: 25 AUG 2004
Location: US, Oregon
Status : Offline | [u][b]Chapter Fifteen: the Finnish fifth Turn.[/b][/u]
Here is a pic at the end of the Finnish fifth Turn:
[img]http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn167/rainrain_bucket/TFA_046.jpg[/img]
The Finns with a LOS into the clearing next to the road fired at the advancing Russians but no casualties occurred. The Finns in the first works east of the road have pulled back & the MG team has moved over to the road where it has a good LOS covering any Russian advance up the road (blue arrows).
Next the Finnish reinforcements came in from the Exit Objective & ran smack up against the T-37 sitting on the second Victory Objective. They attacked it with Molotov cocktails & wrecked it (not shown).
Notice the second Victory Objective is now colored blue with the number 40 inside (yellow arrow) indicating the Finns have captured that Objective with their reinforcements. There are no Finnish units shown on the Objective because of the FOW.
All of this would be better seen rather than described but there is no way to freeze the playback to take pics.
Here is Boggit:
[i]Turn 5
"It's no good. We can't all fight that lot on our own, we're gonna have to pull back!" hissed Kortavaala. As he did so, the nearest Russian squad fell back, although this was made up for by the otherwise general Russian advance. Pajari nodded: "Ok. Let's do it, perhaps we can support the MG group!"
Leaping up they dashed from the defences into the nearby woods amidst the fire from the nearby Russian infantry and started firing back. As they did so they bumped into Taatavaala's half squad who was busy setting up an ambush to their flank. They now knew they were not alone and had put a number of Russians out of sight. At least in the short term they might achieve a sort of parity in their fire fight.
Across the battlefield, Autti's relief force had just arrived and a scouting force had run straight into a tank ambush comprising a single T-37. They dropped and fired hoping to grab the tank crews attention. It worked and a following squad threw molotov cocktails setting it ablaze. Moving forward cautiously to avoid any unpleasant surprises, the relief force was on it's way. Would it be in time?[/i]
Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it. George Santayana
I'd rather be right than be president. Henry Clay
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| 13 MAY 2008 at 5:27am |
OzgurBudakCenturion
Posts : 6
Joined: 7 MAY 2008
Status : Online | If snaps are not misleading me here, I think the Finnish soldiers defending the tree line opened their fire too early. That could explain why Russian infantry casualties are low. Most of the players dont use hold fire feature. Majority of the Finnish arms are rifles. I wouldnt open rifle fire till the enemy is at least within 3 hexes reach.
[image]http://hist-sdc.com/images/spotlights/sb_red_victory/_banner_red_victory_1.jpg[/image]
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| 13 MAY 2008 at 12:14pm |
Dale HCommander
Posts : 1217
Joined: 25 AUG 2004
Location: US, Oregon
Status : Offline | [u][b]Chapter Sixteen: The Russian sixth Turn.[/b][/u]
Here is a pic at the end of his turn:
[img]http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn167/rainrain_bucket/TFA_047.jpg[/img]
The Russian infantry is advancing & took no casualties from opportunity fire. Notice the company commander is advancing as well in spite of the sniper fire aimed at him. He is a high value target. Leaders are worth more victory points than their Men.
Now would be a good time to look at the Victory Dialog from the Info Menu. Here is a pic:
[img]http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn167/rainrain_bucket/TFA_045.jpg[/img]
The Russian player has 48 of the Victory Points from exiting the four BT-5's & he was the last to hold the first Victory Objective up the road for 40 more points giving him an Objective Point total of 88 so far. The Finns gain by denying the Victory Objectives to the Russians.
We can also see he has lost 8 Men for a Victory Point total of 8 & 2 vehicles (2 T-37's) for a total of 8 also (Men losses count one apiece & vehicles four). We don't know the Finnish losses yet because of the FOW.
Recall there are different ways to win HPS Squad Battles. One way to win is to be the last to hold Victory Objectives & the second is to exit units off the Exit Objective but the third way is to win by attrition. The third way is often the way expert, veteran players get their victories so, we must pay attention to losses (avoiding them for our side & inflicting them on the other) with the same degree of care we do the first two ways.
So far the Russian player has a Major Victory because of the Victory Values set for the scenario shown at the bottom. No sense in paying any attention to the Outcome this early in the battle though because it has no meaning.
[i]It is quieter now. Funny how the woods & the snow amplify the battle noise. The sounds are strident. The clamorous shouting surprises me & it seems out of place. I thought men would go about their business without drawing attention to themselves by hollering but the only thing quiet on the battle field is death.
The noise rises & falls & now there is just the insistent chattering of the Finnish MG & desultory small arms reports. We crouch low walking up to the tree line. Instinctively & suddenly I fall to the snow. A tree branch over my head just evaporated with a splat. The commander drops to his knees then goes prone also.
"Stay down," he says. "That one was close. We don't want to be losing any American journalists, do we? It wouldn't be good press."
He smiles & whacks me twice on the shoulder. Then he trains his glasses on the road.
"Are the Finns are pulling back?"
"Probably so," he replies. " I would prefer to have them stay. Now we are going to have to clear them off the road."
I lift my head up but when I hear the angry hornets just overhead from the last machine gun volley I prefer to bury my face in the snow. I hear chuckling from the commander. He turns his face to mine.
"Call me Boris," he says.
"Glad to meet you, Boris," I barely manage to stammer back.
The chuckling continues...[/i]
Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it. George Santayana
I'd rather be right than be president. Henry Clay
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| 13 MAY 2008 at 12:27pm |
Dale HCommander
Posts : 1217
Joined: 25 AUG 2004
Location: US, Oregon
Status : Offline | Yes, the Finns don't have much in the way of stopping power other than the Maxim MG (& their mortars). They really are undergunned.
Here is one Finnish team:
[img]http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn167/rainrain_bucket/TFA_014.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn167/rainrain_bucket/TFA_015.jpg[/img]
There is a Range Effect for weapons: at one Hex Fire Value of a weapon is doubled, at a range of half the effective range or less it is nominal (unchanged) & beyond half of effective range it is halved.
Recall also fire against units [b]not[/b] On Ground is doubled.
The low Lethality of the rifles is important as well. The SMG is really only effective at one Hex.
The Finnish commander really is up against it from the start. Very good depiction of the the long odds the Finns faced against the Russians.
Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it. George Santayana
I'd rather be right than be president. Henry Clay
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| 13 MAY 2008 at 9:49pm |
BoggitColonel
Posts : 3525
Joined: 18 JUL 2003
Status : Offline |
ORIGINAL: Cantata
The Russian "blitzkrieg" tactics seem to be paying off nicely. It appears that Stalin's purges may have inadvertently left some command talent intact, luckily for his armed forces. The infantry may take some casualties in their exertions, but their quick follow up to exploitation would also appear to be quite successful at this time. With such a rapid advance, the Finns will be hard pressed to contain the situation, even if they get reinforced. Onward to victory, commrade!
As for the Finns, it would seem they are commanded by a somewhat timid leader, which is alarming to say the least, under the circumstances. Retreating from prepared defensive positons so soon in the battle was a big mistake and only serves to embolden the Russian troops, who will quickly have those same fortified positions for themselves, and much more, at little cost! The Finns could have bled the Russians considerably had they held their positions, forcing close combat and hand-to-hand fighting if neccessary. The front line needed to buy time for reinforcements to arrive, but it is unlikely to have been enough time, in this case. Have courage and keep fighting for freedom!
What will happen?? We shall see, we shall see... the suspense here is pretty cool, I think.
ORIGINAL: OzgurBudak
If snaps are not misleading me here, I think the Finnish soldiers defending the tree line opened their fire too early. That could explain why Russian infantry casualties are low. Most of the players dont use hold fire feature. Majority of the Finnish arms are rifles. I wouldnt open rifle fire till the enemy is at least within 3 hexes reach.
@Ozgur and Cantata[]
The central squad and leader initially were on hold fire. There was no point giving their position away in the face of the overwhleming firepower that could have been brought to bear, when it was unlikely that they'd do much damage. It also meant that I'd be able to drop spotted artillery onto the Russians without running the risk of having my spotter killed early on. Also, if I were assaulted in the defensive position, given that I 'd not been spotted there was a good chance I'd give the Russians a bloody nose - at least on the first attempt.
The northern group - some 6 or 7 men opened fire early on at range because the Russian left a couple of units exposed - non-ground status - and I wanted to delay the infantry advance a couple of turns, but I was going to be cautious since those men were facing roughly 10 times their number. A 6 or 7 man squad is pretty fragile and whilst I might pot away at range, buying time it would be all over pretty quickly once I was flanked. As it was, this group disrupted from my OWN mortars, thus being vulnerable to assault by the flanking Russian squad, so I'd rather pull back and reorganise. Best case then would be that I'd undisrupt and be in a position to ambush any unsuspecting Russians.
The southern group have been blasting away from the start. The sniper has been targeting leaders and the MG also when stacked with a squad. This is my most lethal weapon at range, so I've tried to use it whilst I can.
As to the reserve group. Well of the 6 men, we destroyed one tank but when they became disrupted there was little chance for them to hold against the concentrated tank assault.
As to the reserves. Well they didn't turn up on turn 4, but turn 5 instead. As it is, I think Cantata overemphasises the value of the defensive positions. There are no points to be had for the defensive positions and when they are flanked they confer no advantage. If I locked myself to them with the forces I started with I would be flanked and destroyed piecemeal by fire and assault. Given the odds the end result is predicatable. My best bet really is to keep my options open by so far as is possible fighting from a position of advantage where I get to concentrate fire and where the Russian is limited in this regard. Until I am reinforced it is unrealistic to expected wonders of a platoon consisting of largely understrength squads, so I have sought to take opportunities to frustrate the Russian and in the meantime preserve my force, so that the Russian doesn't get a clear run at my reinforcements. He may have a great advantage now by exiting the tanks because I can't trap and destroy them in the woods by my reinforcements and he has substantial VPs for exiting them. There was nothing really that I could do to stop them once they'd brushed the reserve aside. It is all up to the relief force now.
Dale[], being the gentleman that he is, has been very generous in his kindly interpretation of why I have done what I did. The bottom line is that with the slender force I have, I can delay, but unless the Russian is really stupid (and I don't think that of Dale for one split second), it is unlikely that they alone will stop him, and more even likely they'd be destroyed without achieving that goal. I'm playing a patient game, trying to preserve my force and strike when opportunity presents.
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| 13 MAY 2008 at 10:57pm |
CantataCenturion
Posts : 58
Joined: 20 FEB 2007
Status : Online | Boggit, Dale,
I appreciate your insights from both perspectives. Forgive me if I am more aggressive minded concerning the Finns, and perhaps sometimes too conservative as the Russians when I'm playing. To be sure, both have cost me dearly for different reasons at different times in this game. I'm not second-guessing, just considering things as compared to my own style of play. One of the best things about human opponents, as I'm sure you both know, is their ability to surprise you and do the unexpected. The AI is good in this game, but nothing compares to a wiley and clever human opponent.
I'd like to think I've been wargaming long enough to hold my own (since 1980's), but there is always room for improvement, a lesson which I learn over and over again. You are both giving a good account of yourselves and your forces, and I have learned a couple of things in the process. Thanks for that, as well. Keep up the wonderful story, and good luck to you both!
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