Dogs Of War Vu

Network of Friends => Theater of Operations: World at War => Topic started by: choppinlt on August 27, 2016, 11:20:34 PM

Title: Blue, Gray, and Bocage Scenario-German Perspective
Post by: choppinlt on August 27, 2016, 11:20:34 PM
0600 11 Jul 44 SitRep- your 9th Fallschirm regiment has performed remarkably well considering what has been asked of it. We have received less than adequate supply, almost no replacements, and defending a wide front, yet we have been able to manage against a foe that currently possesses almost every combat advantage. Due to nearby fighting on Hill 192, II Battalion is currently not available. I battalion executed a predawn attack with attached engineers. Currently they have "degraded" cohesion due to their attack and eventual pullback, and they should recover within a couple hours. Unit manpower levels are roughly 60% at the moment, and will get no better. You will receive some reinforcements, but it will be very limited amounts that trickle in. Our orders are clear: surrender no ground without a fight. So make them pay for every inch while trying to protect St. Lo.

Enemy Intel-we have been continuing to face the 29th Infantry Division plus typical attachments (a tank battalion and chemical mortars). They are decent troops, but perhaps the largest advantage they hold is their field artillery with copious amounts of ammunition. To date it appears that the Americans engage in ground combat primarily to draw our troops out to bombard them. While this has led to very slow progress in taking ground for the Americans, this tactic is bearing fruit by depleting our manpower.

Player orders for game start: The current battle plan is to stay idle and await the onslaught. We will bring the engineer company back to use in a reserve position to help in defense. We will use their artillery only for opportunity fire to help blunt American attacks. Otherwise it will remain silent to prevent counterbattery fire and depletion of ammo stock levels.

The battle is on, stay tuned for results! As always, feel free to ask questions.

(http://buckeyebg.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/GT1.png)
Title: Re: Blue, Gray, and Bocage Scenario-German Perspective
Post by: Christian Knudsen on September 04, 2016, 05:20:16 PM
More!  More!
Title: Re: Blue, Gray, and Bocage Scenario-German Perspective
Post by: Asid on September 04, 2016, 05:29:15 PM
Agreed. This is great :)
Title: Re: Blue, Gray, and Bocage Scenario-German Perspective
Post by: choppinlt on September 04, 2016, 07:08:39 PM
First off great I'm glad you are enjoying what I have so far! Feel free to give suggestions as we go along. And now the results....

Current Time 0800

Turn 1 Staff Report: the engineering company stepped off at 0600 on foot and marched back to a reserve position. The head of the column arrived at 0720 and the entire unit was in place by 0728. Once in place the engineers are going about regaining full cohesion. Meanwhile all 4 FSJ companies on the front line were victims of harassing fire from American artillery. Since the Germans were stationary and occupying prepared defensive positions there was only 1 total casualty from the artillery fire across the whole line, however the artillery fire was effective in limiting supplies and fatigue recovery. Additionally, it delayed the cohesion recovery on 1/9 and 2/9. No German batteries attempted counterbattery fire since they were focused on opportunity fire for any detected enemy movement or potential ground assault. Vague contact was made around where at least 1 of the American 105 units was firing from.

0800 Plan of Action: at this point the German commander plans to keep low, and wait for any reinforcements to arrive. No new orders are being given at this point.

Stay tuned for next turn...

(http://buckeyebg.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/GT1.png)
Title: Re: Blue, Gray, and Bocage Scenario-German Perspective
Post by: choppinlt on September 07, 2016, 04:17:06 PM
Current Time 1000 Hours

Turn 2 Staff Report:the harassing fire continues against the 4 front line companies. The American artillery was slightly more effective since it caused 2 casualties. Realistically the artillery did little except create suppression. Despite the harassing fire 1/9 and 2/9 fully recover their cohesion by 0815. Additionally, the engineering company fully recovers its cohesion at 0940. No new movement was detected. Some reinforcements have arrived! Company 4/9 enters with degraded cohesion and is immediately ready for orders. No other action to report.

(http://buckeyebg.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/GT2.png)

1000 Plan of Action:The first reinforcement has arrived. The good news is that the Americans have postponed their attack, but the bad news is the area for  the main effort of the Americans has not been determined yet. After some careful consideration the German commander decides to move 4/9 approximately 700m west to help establish a new line of defense. From this spot it will prevent the free use of the road to the north, seal the right flank, and help shield the artillery to the south. It is known that the rest of the companies from II/9 FSJ Regt will trickle in over the course of the day (companies 5/9 and 6/9). They can be placed appropriately around 4/9's anchor point. Furthermore, the engineers will be moved over so they can help create "prepared" positions for 4/9.

Game Note- there are 5 levels of unit posture: Attack, Exposed, Hasty, Prepared, and Fortified. I will create a thread that discusses this in more detail, but engineer units can help other units achieve Hasty, Prepared and Fortified postures much quicker. Engineer units can even create pre-pared positions for other units to quickly occupy.

(http://buckeyebg.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/GT2B.png)
Title: Re: Blue, Gray, and Bocage Scenario-German Perspective
Post by: choppinlt on September 12, 2016, 04:37:46 PM
FYI, updates have been added to the scenario. Visuals have not been created yet, but they are forthcoming!!!
Title: Re: Blue, Gray, and Bocage Scenario-German Perspective
Post by: Asid on September 12, 2016, 04:49:39 PM
FYI, updates have been added to the scenario. Visuals have not been created yet, but they are forthcoming!!!
Are they here yet??? :p

This is great. Keep them coming.

Regards
Title: Re: Blue, Gray, and Bocage Scenario-German Perspective
Post by: choppinlt on September 12, 2016, 07:52:03 PM
Ha, ha, yes they are! Stay tuned for the results! ;D Let me know if you have questions or comments regarding the visuals.
Title: Re: Blue, Gray, and Bocage Scenario-German Perspective
Post by: choppinlt on September 16, 2016, 08:07:04 PM
Current Time 1200 Hours

Turn 3 Staff Report- at 1045 4/9 marches to its new position and meets the engineer company, and they immediately go to work establishing a new defensive line. They can hear the American artillery in the distance harrassing the front line units. Suddenly at 1145 the occasional artillery explosion turns in to a deafening roar. It can only mean one thing...the anticipated American assault is on. The artillery bombardment has the following effects: 1/9 suffers 2 casualties and its cohesion is reduced to degrade while being hit with 155's and 105's; 2/9 suffers 3 casualties and degraded cohesion while being hit with 105's and 4.2-inch mortars; 6/9 suffers 3 casualties with no cohesion loss; finally 7/9 suffers 4 casualties with no cohesion loss. While I havn't explicitly mentioned it, there are additional impacts from the bombardment. There is additional fatigue loss, units are slowed/prevented from moving, and resupply is slowed/prevented. In short, units don't like to be under artillery fire...go figure! ;)

Game Note-ironically 6/9 and 7/9 took the highest concentrations of artillery, yet they suffered no cohesion loss. Funny how fate works...

1200 Plan of Action-await the assault, await reinforcements, and continue planning a new line of defense.

(http://buckeyebg.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/GT3.png)
Title: Re: Blue, Gray, and Bocage Scenario-German Perspective
Post by: choppinlt on September 26, 2016, 06:41:00 PM
Whew, there is a lot of data to keep track of! That is why this is supposed to be a computer game!

Current Time 1400 Hours

Note: I messed up on naming the FSJ infantry companies in the pictures below; 6/9 should be 7/9, 7 should be 8/9 and 8 should be 9/9. I will correct his going forward, but the narrative below contains correct names…

Turn 4 Staff Report- As expected the Americans appear to be throwing everything at us they have at their disposal. Our positions have been hit with many 105's, 155's and 4.2-inch mortars in support of the American attacks. A more accurate estimate of enemy artillery use will be forthcoming after further evaluation. Enemy armor has been spotted on our far right flank. Our artillery has responded to the attacks with defensive fire missions from 3 batteries of 120mm mortars, 2 batteries of 105's, and a battery of 88's. 3 fire missions were used against the armor attack alone (a mortar battery, a battery of 105's and the 88's).

7/9 had first contact at 1216, and is currently still engaged. 7/9 has faced 4 different enemy units, and they have yielded little ground while receiving 11 casualties (roughly 7% casualties).

8/9 had first contact at 1240, and is currently still engaged. 8/9 has faced 2 different enemy units, and they have yielded little ground while receiving 15 casualties (roughly 10% casualties).

9/9 had first contact at 1240, and is currently still engaged. 9/9 has faced 2 different enemy units, and they have yielded little ground while receiving 11 casualties (roughly 7% casualties).

1/9 had first contact at 1224, and is currently still engaged. 1/9 has faced 3 different enemy units, and they have yielded little ground while receiving 9 casualties (roughly 6% casualties).

2/9 had first contact at 1224, and is currently still engaged. 2/9 has faced 4 different enemy units, and they have yielded little ground while receiving 8 casualties (roughly 6% casualties).

3/9 had first contact at 1224, and is currently still engaged. 3/9 has faced 3 different enemy units, and they have yielded little ground while receiving 8 casualties (roughly 6% casualties).

FYI: I did not tally all internal unit support elements (MG platoons, command section, etc.) for sake of brevity. Instead I will just provide casualties per company, and a sum total per battalion which would include all internal elements

I/9 took 41 total casualties.
III/9 took 49 total casualties.

Game Note: all German units had a Persistence Level of ‘Stubborn’. You can visit the forum thread talking about persistence for more information, but ‘Stubborn’ means that a unit is willing to suffer major casualties trying to hold at all costs. Units will typically suffer higher casualty rates and cohesion loss, but will yield less ground to the enemy. Cautious means that a unit is more willing to give ground and preserve casualties. Determined is the all-purpose level of balancing giving ground with force preservation.

Unit Dispositions at 1248 Hours
(http://buckeyebg.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/1248-Grmn-Postn.png)

1400 Unit Dispositions
(http://buckeyebg.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/GT4.png)

1400 Plan of Action: The good news is that our lines are holding, and that we are starting to make progress in establishing a new line of defense. The bad news is that our casualties are high, and our tactical success feels phyrric. We know we are causing significant casualties and blunting progress, but our casualty percentages are unsustainable for the long run. At the moment we have to continue to weather the storm, and hope that we have no significant breakdowns. There is a good chance that 8/9 will be pushed off of their prepared positions when their engagement is over. We need to hope that the Americans don't renew their assault in this area, because we are more vulnerable now...but that is wishful thinking. Right now there is little to be done except to continue to dig our claws in and hold on till reinforcement arrive.
Title: Re: Blue, Gray, and Bocage Scenario-German Perspective
Post by: choppinlt on October 11, 2016, 08:56:53 PM
Current Time 1600 Hours

Turn 5 Staff Report: The good news is that our lines have held after repulsing a large coordinated assault. The problem becomes supply and replacements. The Americans are using artillery fire at a rate we could only dream of, and combined with their assaults we are caught in a meat grinder. The Americans are using a sledgehammer approach, and while their first strike was repulsed further strikes are likely to make larger and larger gains until our lines finally break.

The enemy battalion on our left flank broke off its attack at 1426. 1/9 and 2/9 were both forced to recoil 200m. Companies 1, 2 and 3/9 are well under way with recovering their cohesion.
The American battalion located 2nd from the right broke off its attack at 1455 with the battalion on the far right breaking off their attack at 1513. 7/9 was forced to recoil 200m, and 8/9 was forced back 300m. This means that 8/9 no longer receives the benefit of being in prepared positions.After the next assault 7/9 is likely to be pushed from their prepared positions as well. Companies 7, 8 and 9/9 are all recovering from degraded cohesion.

As stated in the previous turn report, 90 total casualties were received.

4/9 continues to create prepared positions for a new line of defense, and we are waiting for the remainder of this battalion to arrive to help shore up the defense. We appear to have made a good choice in establishing our defensive line here first.

Unit Positions at 1600 Hours
(http://buckeyebg.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/GT5.png)

1600 Plan of Action: At this point, the plan is to continue to just hang on. To reduce the threat of counterbattery fire, the decision has been made to leave the artillery in a defensive support role. We have no margin for error and we want to limit risks till we get some more reinforcements.
Title: Re: Blue, Gray, and Bocage Scenario-German Perspective
Post by: Christian Knudsen on October 16, 2016, 06:04:22 PM
How's it going?
Title: Re: Blue, Gray, and Bocage Scenario-German Perspective
Post by: choppinlt on October 17, 2016, 03:04:14 PM
It's going slow right now. There is lots of activity going on behind the scenes at the moment that is slowing down scenario progress. It's all good stuff though!  ;) I hope to make progress on the scenario today or tomorrow.
Title: Re: Blue, Gray, and Bocage Scenario-German Perspective
Post by: choppinlt on October 31, 2016, 05:18:29 PM
Current Time 1800 Hours

Turn 6 Staff Report: All is quiet while units recuperate from the previous assault. Cohesion recovery is underway for the applicable units when at 1700 the steel rain once again starts to fall. This is no longer harassing fire, but a full-on sustained bombardment lasting till 1800 with every front line company is targeted.

8/9 takes the worst punishment since they no longer count being in prepared positions. They were at least able to prepare hasty positions just prior to the shelling from 155’s and 105’s. They suffered 4 casualties, fatigue loss, and perhaps most concerning is the further loss of cohesion.
9/9 was hit with multiple batteries of 155’s and 4.2-inch mortars. They suffered 3 casualties, fatigue loss, and now has degraded cohesion.
7/9 was hit with a battalion of 105’s and suffered 2 casualties and fatigue loss only.
2/9 was also hit with a battalion of 105’s and suffered 1 casualty with some fatigue loss.
3/9 was hit with multiple batteries of 105’s and 4.2-inch mortars suffering 2 casualties, fatigue loss only.
1/9 was hit with a battalion of 105’s suffering 2 casualties and some fatigue loss.

4/9’s prepared positions have been completed, and from the sounds of it, just in time. The engineer company is now starting to prepare positions for the next company to arrive.

Serious cracks in the defensive line are really starting to show.

(http://buckeyebg.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/GT6.png)

Plan of Action: At this point the current plan is to weather the storm as best we can. To conserve ammunition, the artillery remains on Defensive Fire Missions for the inevitable assault. The good news is that another company (5/9) arrives to help bolster our situation, so they will be moved in to place and their positions prepared.


Title: Re: Blue, Gray, and Bocage Scenario-German Perspective
Post by: choppinlt on November 21, 2016, 09:31:12 PM
Current Time 2000 Hours (Updated 19 Dec)

Turn 7 Staff Report:  “Get out of your holes, and take your positions! Here they come!!” After wiping off the dirt and debris of the bombardment the troops find that the inevitable assault is underway. Within a span of 3 minutes every front line unit was engaged starting at 1808 hours.

Only 2 of the American units are still engaging us, but every frontline unit we have are in various levels of contact with the enemy. Our forces appear to have somehow weathered the storm again, and given ground sparingly. Our right flank appears to be the focus of the day’s assaults, though no breakthrough appears imminent at this point. We are awaiting more detailed reports, but casualties appear to be heavy again. The men are very tired and our ranks are thinning at an alarming rate.

Our 105's took counterbattery fire with only minor disruption of operations.

Meanwhile 4/9 arrived at its destination and goes about regaining full cohesion and preparing a new defensive line.

We just received an intel report stating that due to enemy success on our right and the loss of Hill 192 (bad news), we are now a higher priority for reinforcements and resupply (good news). In particular we should see improved ammo stock levels for our artillery. Reinforcements will continue to trickle in.

Unit dispositions as of 1811 hours
(http://buckeyebg.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/GT7a.png)

2000 Hours Unit Dispositions
(http://buckeyebg.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/GT7b.png)

2000 Hours Plan of Action:  wait for combat to wind down and make further assessments regarding unit dispositions. Once darkness falls, we will go about re-establishing a new line of defense.
Title: Re: Blue, Gray, and Bocage Scenario-German Perspective
Post by: choppinlt on December 19, 2016, 04:12:48 PM
Updated narrative and visuals.  :) We are still waiting on battle results, but these can be "normalized" as we go.
Title: Re: Blue, Gray, and Bocage Scenario-German Perspective
Post by: choppinlt on January 12, 2017, 04:20:18 PM
Current Time 2200 Hours

Turn 8 Staff Report: By 2022 the Americans had fully disengaged. Our troops report that the 2 enemy battalions to our right had engineer support. The battalion to the far right was the only unit with tank support, and it appears 5 tanks were knocked out during this latest attack. Our forces also report liberal usage of artillery in every attack including 155’s, 105’s and heavy mortars. The unit with tank support advanced the furthest with a 400m advance. All other enemy units advanced 200m. Due to the total enemy advance on the day, only the infantry companies in reserve occupy prepared defenses. All other units occupy hasty defenses. Currently the enemy forces are consolidating gains, but it is unclear at the moment what their immediate intentions are.

In total we suffered 76 casualties this round of combat with 177 casualties total for the day. All frontline forces are recovering cohesion, and all units should be fully recovered by 2300 hours.

We just received a message from HHQ stating that due to the loss of Hill 192 (just off map on the east edge), our sector is a higher priority for reinforcements and resupply. In pa
rticular we should see improved ammo stock levels for our artillery. Reinforcements will continue to trickle in, however replacements appear to be nil.

2200 Unit Dispositions
(http://buckeyebg.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/GT8.png)

Plan of Action: now that darkness has arrived we will start to withdraw and redeploy some of the infantry companies, and establish a new MLR in anticipation of renewed attacks in the morning. Hopefully we can recover some fatigue as well. There will be no offensive artillery fire missions tonight to allow stocks to recover for tomorrow. We are looking forward to see what reinforcements we receive.

Game Note: I have little data on the German casualty rates in this area from July 11, however I do have reliable information on casualties sustained and artillery expenditures for the Americans. Historically the 29th lost around 500 men on this day. This scenario produced 303 casualties, but the Americans delayed their initial assault till noon. So if the Americans had started their assault at 0600 in this scenario (as what happened historically), you could interpolate the results to be close to 500 casualties. So that is a good sign that my game mechanics are producing reasonable results! If anyone has any data they want to share (from credible sources), please feel free to let me know.

Even though I don’t have any data regarding the Germans, 176 casualties feels a little light…but I can’t be sure at this point. One huge factor is that I allowed the Germans to start in prepared defensive positions. I see no reason at the moment to tweak anything, but I will definitely keep an eye on this. You are witnessing the first real play-through with all these different mechanics in action together, warts and all! While there is definite work needed, I am happy with how it is coming together. I hope you are getting a lot of value with seeing a scenario unfold and getting a real feel for how the game concept is supposed to work. It is my hope that these scenarios will lead to better understanding.

I havn’t taken the time to analyze artillery expenditure yet, but that will be interesting to see how that turns out!
Title: Re: Blue, Gray, and Bocage Scenario-German Perspective
Post by: choppinlt on January 31, 2017, 08:13:51 PM
Current Time 2400 Hours

Turn 9 Staff Report: All units have recovered their cohesion loss, except Kompanie 8/9. American armor was heard withdrawing on our far right, but otherwise all was quiet. It doesn’t appear the Americans are going to continue to press the attack, which means we need to prepare for another full day of combat.

Kompanie 6/9 has arrived and is now ready for orders. The entire 9th Fallschirm Regiment is now on the map.

2400 Unit Dispositions
(http://buckeyebg.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/GT9.png)

Plan of Action: Since it doesn’t appear that the Americans are going to press the attack, we can think about redeploying our units to establish a new line of defense. The addition of the III Battalion should help tremendously in trying to slow do the Americans. In the mean time we await the arrival of additional reinforcements and supplies.

Our redeployment plan is as follows: 2/9 will withdraw from the line and assume a position in reserve to support the rest of I Battalion. This allows us to take advantage of 3/9 still occupying prepared defenses.

The significant gap created by 2/9 withdrawing will be partially covered by 7/9. It will also withdraw from the line and dig in a few hundred meters northwest of Hill 147.

5/9 will move up to the line and assume a position a few hundred meters south of where 7/9 previously occupied.

4/9 will move north and assume a position just east of Hill 147 that can support the rest of II Battalion.

6/9 will move north and join the battered remnants of 8/9.

9/9 will remain in place take advantage of their prepared defensive positions.

14/9 and 9 RHQ move down the Martinsville Ridge a few hundred meters toward St. Lo and take up new positions.

13/9 will fall back to the outskirts of St. Lo and can act as a fire brigade.

All units withdrawing from the line will do so using Infiltrate movement to help prevent the enemy of being aware of what we are doing.

Game Note: Infiltrate movement is the slowest rate of movement whereby small groups of troops move at irregular intervals to attract less attention than a mass movement would. Units moving by infiltration are less likely to be detected, and are less attractive targets for enemy fighter-bombers and artillery even if detected. The down side is that movement is very slow and the unit is potentially more vulnerable to ground attack due to being strung out.

Proposed Redeployment
(http://buckeyebg.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/GT9a.png)
Title: Re: Blue, Gray, and Bocage Scenario-German Perspective
Post by: choppinlt on February 17, 2017, 03:14:26 PM
Current Time 0200 Hours

Turn 10 Staff Report: All movement is going as planned, and there is no enemy activity to report. The engineering company is marching to its destination and should be in place by 0230. 2/9, 5/9, and 7/9 are all infiltrating to their new positions, and they should all be in place by 0400. All other units that were given orders have reached their new positions.

0200 Unit Dispositions
(http://buckeyebg.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/GT10b.png)

Plan of Action: finish redeployment and dig-in. The additional battalion has helped shore up our defense. We have to be careful since our margin for error is much less, but as further reinforcements appear we can consider local counterattacks to disrupt the Americans. Yesterday we enjoyed the advantage of being in prepared defenses, but today promises to be a bloodier day since only 2 companies start off with the benefit of occupying prepared defenses.
Title: Re: Blue, Gray, and Bocage Scenario-German Perspective
Post by: choppinlt on February 24, 2017, 06:52:43 PM
Current Time 0400 Hours

Turn 11 Staff Report: As you can hear the Americans have already started preparations by commencing harassing fire with artillery on all previously known positions. 2/9, 5/9 and 7/9 have all reached their new positions as planned, but the harassing fire caused 2 casualties each to 2/9 and 5/9 as they withdrew. 7/9 reports harassing fire in front of it hitting 5/9’s former positions, but is not suffering from its effects due to setting up positions behind where 5/9 had occupied. No other units have reported issues sustained from the latest artillery fire.

0400 Unit Dispositions
(http://buckeyebg.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/GT11.png)

Plan of Action: 7/9 will be redeployed behind the mortar company, otherwise all other units will remain in place and await reinforcements. All artillery will all be under the Op FM orders in anticipation of the next attack.
Title: Re: Blue, Gray, and Bocage Scenario-German Perspective
Post by: choppinlt on March 21, 2017, 04:27:51 PM
Current Time 0600 Hours 12 Jun

Turn 12 Staff Report: 7/9 arrived to its assigned destination. Harrassing fires continued with minimal impact until 0500. At 0500 the volume and intensity greatly increased to a full preparatory bombardment. Through the din of the bombardment American armor was detected combining with the mid-right infantry battalion, so the American attack appears imminent. Since 0300 Hours, casualties are reported as follows:
1/9 reports 16 casualties
2/9 reports 2 casualties
3/9 reports 5 casualties
5/9 reports 2 casualties
6/9 reports 8 casualties
8/9 reports 7 casualties
9/9 reports 10 casualties

0600 Unit Dispositions
(http://buckeyebg.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/GT12.png)

Plan of Action: await the assault and react accordingly.  :sstorm
Title: Re: Blue, Gray, and Bocage Scenario-German Perspective
Post by: choppinlt on April 13, 2017, 07:26:02 PM
Current Time 0800 12 Jul updated

Turn 13 Staff Report: The anticipated attack has begun. First contact was made at 0609 on our far left. By 0621 there were 4 attacks underway.

The engagement on the far left began approximately at 0609 and ended at approximately 0750. It involved companies 1, 2, and 3 with no fire missions provided in defensive support. Casualties were reported as high, but the enemy was halted after a small to moderate gain. The enemy was reported as an infantry battalion with some artillery support.

The engagement on the middle left involving companies 3, 4, 5, and 9 has been under way since 0621, but the attack appears to be losing momentum. A battery of 120mm mortars and 105’s have fired missions in defense of this attack. The enemy appears to be making a small to moderate gain thus far, and our casualties are reportedly high. This sector reports that the enemy is attacking in battalion strength with significant artillery support.

The engagement on the middle right started about 0619 and is currently still in progress. Companies 4, 5, 6, 8, and 9 are all involved in this engagement, and report heavy casualties. A battery of 120mm mortars and 105’s are providing fire support in defense. The enemy appears to be in battalion strength with armor and significant artillery support. They appear to be making significant gains.

The engagement on our right started approximately at 0612 and is currently still in progress. Companies 6, 8, and 9 are involved in this fight, and report heavy casualties. A battery of 120mm mortars and 105’s plus the 88’s are providing fire support in defense. The enemy appears to be in battalion strength with armor and significant artillery support. They appear to be making significant gains.

Reports are being analyzed, greater detail will be available later.

I am pleased to announce the arrival of a company from the 12th Stug Brigade. They await your orders.

0621 Unit Dispositions
(http://buckeyebg.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/GT13.png)

0800 Unit Dispositions
(http://buckeyebg.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/GT13b.png)

Plan of Action: <revised> The addition of the armor creates an interesting debate. Shall the armor be used to help blunt the American armored assault, or do we counterattack and perhaps catch an un-suspecting unit off guard? I am going to opt for the higher risk/reward option and perform a local counter attack. The Stugs will form a battle group with 2/9, some artillery support will be attached, and strike northeast in an attempt to catch that infantry battalion exposed. I will issue “Cautious” persistence to lower potential casualties if things go wrong, but hopefully this will help disrupt the American tempo of operations. Meanwhile 13/9 (the engineers) are going to take a new position almost due south of 9/9 in an effort to help shore up the line and slow down any potential breakthroughs.
Title: Re: Blue, Gray, and Bocage Scenario-German Perspective
Post by: Tactical Wargamer on May 02, 2017, 05:51:16 PM
Great read.....nice work.
Title: Re: Blue, Gray, and Bocage Scenario-German Perspective
Post by: choppinlt on May 16, 2017, 04:25:19 PM
Thanks Tactical Wargamer! I apologize for the hiatus. It turns out the life can get unexpectedly busy some times.  :)
Title: Re: Blue, Gray, and Bocage Scenario-German Perspective
Post by: choppinlt on May 16, 2017, 04:31:09 PM
Current Time 1000 Hours 12 Jul

Turn 14 Staff Report: All engagements were reportedly over by 0833. The Americans continue to assault our lines with infantry supported with armor and liberal amounts of artillery. The last round of engagements are worrying because they appear to be making greater gains than yesterday.

Reports indicated that we have sustained 75 total casualties this last round of combat and total 126 casualties today from all causes. All units except 8/9 should recover their cohesion by 1100. With no enemy interference 8/9 is likely to recover no sooner than about 1600.

1/12 has formed the battlegroup with 2/9 with a battalion of 105’s and all regimental mortars in support. They are going to attack northeast toward Belle Fontaine with “Cautious” persistence. Contact with the enemy is anticipated to at approximately 1030. *Read last turns Plan of Action, it was recently revised to include this move.

13/9 has arrived at its destination and is digging in.

1000 Unit Dispositions
(http://buckeyebg.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/GT14.png)

Plan of Action: Cross our fingers that the local counterattack doesn’t go horribly wrong. All other units continue to prepare for the next assault.
Title: Re: Blue, Gray, and Bocage Scenario-German Perspective
Post by: choppinlt on September 25, 2017, 07:59:51 PM
Current Time 1200 12 Jul

Turn 15 Staff Report: All units were recovering and preparing for the next round of assaults. Meanwhile 2/9 conducted its attack, but was quickly repulsed by highly effective American artillery! We appear to have taken notable casualties, but we are awaiting further information. While the attack was a disappointment, it may have thrown the timing off of that American battalion, because it has not moved since.

In the meantime the Americans are conducting another round of general assaults with the rest of their forces that started at approximately 1110. We are waiting for additional information on how the battle is progressing.


1031 Unit Dispositions
(http://buckeyebg.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/GT15a.png)

1200 Unit Dispositions
(http://buckeyebg.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/GT15b.png)

Plan of Action: wait and see how the assaults turn out.
Title: Re: Blue, Gray, and Bocage Scenario-German Perspective
Post by: Tactical Wargamer on September 25, 2017, 10:38:00 PM
Biting my nails!
How exciting!!!

Title: Re: Blue, Gray, and Bocage Scenario-German Perspective
Post by: choppinlt on October 18, 2017, 08:08:29 PM
Current Time 1400 12 Jul

Turn 16 Staff Report: All engagements appear to be over at the moment, except one. It appears that our lines are still holding.
The attack on our far left appears to be from an infantry battalion, and it was supported with a light amount of artillery. This attack advanced 100m and lasted until 1251. Our infantry held despite no artillery support, but we suffered 25 casualties.

The attack on our middle left appears to still be in progress. Initial reports indicated enemy infantry well supported with artillery. More details will be available later.

The attack on the middle right ended at 1313 and advanced 200m. This attack appears to be from a reinforced infantry battalion with armor, lots of artillery, and probably engineers. Our infantry received notable artillery support in defending this area, but we suffered 23 casualties.

The attack on our far right appears to have advanced 300m with the engagement ending at 1330. This attack also appears to be an infantry battalion supported with armor, lots of artillery and probably engineers. This attack received most of our available artillery support, and we suffered 21 casualties.

1400 Unit Dispositions
(http://buckeyebg.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/GT16a.png)

Plan of Action: With our primary objective achieved, the Stug's are going to be pulled from the line to a reserve position on the left side. Also, it is time to remove 8/9 from the line. Due to their cohesion, they probably won't pull out before the next wave of attacks. Other than that, we will await yet another round of assaults.
Title: Re: Blue, Gray, and Bocage Scenario-German Perspective
Post by: Asid on October 18, 2017, 08:12:13 PM
 :smileyyea
Title: Re: Blue, Gray, and Bocage Scenario-German Perspective
Post by: choppinlt on December 19, 2017, 05:18:26 PM
Current Time 1600 12 Jul

Turn 17 Staff Report: the attack on our middle left ended at 1406. The attack appears to have been an infantry battalion well supported with artillery. The enemy appears to have used mostly 105’s and heavy mortars, with some 155’s. The infantry greatly appreciated the Stug support which greatly blunted the assault, however It is reported that the enemy was still able to advance 200m before halting. Our losses are reported as 18 personnel and 1 Stug.

All forces are nearly complete in re-grouping from the last round of attacks. As ordered, the Stug’s pulled from the line and are nearly complete with their redeployment. We are still waiting for 8/9 to begin their withdrawal from the line, but considering their condition this is not a surprise. There is no other action to report at this time.

We also want to report that a weather front is moving through the area and storms are forecasted for almost the entire day tomorrow. (Sorry this was a game manager mistake! Players should have been informed of this earlier, although I’m not sure it would have changed anything).

1600 Unit Dispositions
(http://buckeyebg.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/GT17.png)


Plan of Action: continue to give as little territory as possible, and hope for additional reinforcements. The Americans are likely to attack one last time before nightfall. Considering the forecast we are hoping for a reprieve tomorrow, but this may entice the Americans to attack tonight. Fortunately our lines have not broken, though it has been close. The arrival of the Stugs has greatly improved the stability of our situation, but the trick will be to use them without over exposing them.
Title: Re: Blue, Gray, and Bocage Scenario-German Perspective
Post by: Asid on December 19, 2017, 08:13:54 PM
Interesting.....Waiting on the outcome   :cheers
Title: Re: Blue, Gray, and Bocage Scenario-German Perspective
Post by: choppinlt on December 22, 2017, 08:41:34 PM
Current Time 1800 Hours 12 Jul

Turn 18 Staff Report: Sir, as anticipated the Americans are attacking again. We have no details at this point except that heavy attacks have resumed in all sectors.

I will point out that our headquarters has come under some intermittent fire as a result of the attack on our middle left.

1800 Unit Dispositions
(http://buckeyebg.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/GT18.png)

Plan of Action: see how things develop and prepare to shift around reserves in case of a breakthrough. It sounds like relocating our headquarters may be a prudent step as well.
Title: Re: Blue, Gray, and Bocage Scenario-German Perspective
Post by: choppinlt on January 04, 2018, 06:45:41 PM
Current Time 2000 12 Jul

Turn 19 Staff Report: Herr Stephani, the enemy appears to have broken through on our far-right flank! The last report was that our units came under heavy attack at 1710 hours by armor, infantry and well supported by artillery. We have little assessment regarding casualties, but it appears we were pushed back in disarray. We are still trying to get an accurate assessment of the situation, but this is difficult under current circumstances. We know that our forces in this area received artillery support from the 88’s and a battery of 120mm mortars.

The attack on our middle right started at 1712, and it was conducted by an armor infantry team well supported by artillery. It appears this attack may have stalled after moderate gains, although details are sketchy. We know that 2 batteries of 105’s and a battery of 120’s supported our defenses.

The Americans attacked on the middle left around 1711 with infantry well supported by artillery.  This attack appears to have ended after making moderate gains, though details in this area have been hard to assess due to the chaotic situation. We know that a battery of 105’s and 120’s supported against this attack.

The attack on the far left pushed us back about 200m while we suffered moderate casualties. That attack began at 1714 and ended about 1854. Our forces received no artillery support, and faced a what appears to be an infantry battalion and a battery or 2 of American 105’s.

Our current position appears tenuous, and we should consider moving our HQ.

2000 Unit Dispositions
(http://buckeyebg.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/GT19.png)

Plan of Action: awaiting input…