UBoater658 Wargaming

Here are the last 2 turns of the scenario on YouTube: https://youtu.be/3gScZD2QyGU Both turns were relatively static - mainly exchanging fire. But ultimately that was enough for a German major victory. End of turn 13 - mainly focused on securing current VP hexes from US counterattack and causing more casualties to get over the major victory VP threshold. The artillery was set up now and could contribute to the fire on the final VP hex. About 5 points short at the end of the turn.  Turn 14 and the biggest news was the Infantry north of the final VP hex undisrupted so after the Artillery and Engineer fire was able to assault again - this time causing 166 US casualties. This was enough to put the VP count above the major victory level by a healthy margin. After the German National Anthem played, then I was able to see ALL the US forces. Then I realized I only won because of US/AI incompetence - against a human opponent things would have been different...

Not a lot of movement as we come to the end of the scenario. Setting up for the final assault on the last VP hex. Here is the link to the YouTube video of turns 11 and 12: https://youtu.be/VwC9JKKyjXI End of turn 11 - move German Infantry and a handful of Panzers to the Woods north of the final VP hex. Both US units in the final VP town were disrupted by fire so I decided to take chance and assault them with infantry and panzers in the woods to the north. While they did not take the hex the casualties they caused were shocking. Probably due to both US units being disrupted and the infantry unit still in travel mode. But the German infantry was disrupted also so no follow-on assault is possible until it recovers. Therefore I take another chance and move the Div HQ forward to try to increase the odds. End of turn 12: And thanks to the US casualties from the assault, the Germans are at a minor victory level. Maybe the German's just need to hold on until the end...

0600 Turn - The main focus is setting up to capture the remaining VP hex while holding the line everywhere else. Beyond the now 3 US Inf Bns lurking in the southern woods, a new one appeared to the west of the remaining VP town. Not good for my upcoming assault. YouTube: https://youtu.be/ZuQHpdfIBrY End of US turn 10 positions

Things are starting to slow down - but the game is only at the halfway point. Still concerned about the number of US Inf Bn on the board. Since I can't break down my Bns, I only have 6 Inf units and 1 Eng Bn to cover all the ground and VP locations. In the north, things are a bit static. Just trying to keep the US units engaged and disrupted if possible. So exchange of fire and an assault against a dispersed stack of Inf. It looks like in the US turn they pulled 1 Inf Bn off the line and replaced them with Greyhounds. Where is the Inf Bn going? The main event is in the US rear. I had to leave one of the Inf Bn behind to screen Blejaff/50VP from the 2 US Inf Bn to the east. Then sent the Hetzers and the other Inf Bn up the road to try to clear a path to reinforce the attack on the final 150VP hex. Finally, the Eng Bn are trying to finish off the US Art Bn on the road to close up on the 150VP Hex. But then I noticed something about the road the Engineers were on... the US Engineers h...

Been offline busy but back again now. Here is turn 6 of the PC Bulge starter scenario. I have made great geographic progress, but as you will see there are so many US Inf Bns popping up. With only 6 Inf units myself, I am feeling really outnumbered. Also, only halfway thru the game and I have all the VP hexes except one. It will be a bear to capture but after I do am I supposed to go over to the defense and let all the US Inf run freely? Going to probably slow down the push for the last VP hex and see if I can grind down the US. In the south/rear, the German's finished off the broken US Inf Bn and then assumed defensive positions around the VP hex Blejalf to see what the 2 US Inf Bns do. The Engineers moved up the road to the last major VM hex Schonberg to see what was on the road - a US Art Bn in travel mode. The Stug Bn moved into the woods to the NE of the VP hex to seal if off from reinforcements. Finally, the Hetzer's occupied the abandoned trenches on the main diagonal ro...

Changing over to doing turns by video on YouTube - view it here: My inexperience with the system may be starting to show. Maybe a bit overaggressive and not doing a good job of protecting my lines of supply/communication.  At the end of the turn here are the positions:

Turn 4 In the north, the goal of the 2 German Regiments has shifted to keeping all the US troops engaged to hopefully allow the southern regiment to break through into the rear and the big VP hexes. Most US units are disrupted so the Germans assault/maneuver to try to isolate the US units. The Stug unit makes a run on the northern road for the rear VP hexes and the results of this dash will be in the next image.

Trying YouTube next. This is a brief video I did of CMO Sub Tutorial 1.3. From the Scenario brief: Welcome to Basic Submarine Operations 1.3 In this scenario, you will have command of a Russian diesel-electric attack submarine (SS or SSK). Using pop-up messages, you will be guided through the following topics: ·         Diesel-Electric Propulsion ·         Snorkelling ·         Loading specific weapons to a mount ·         Submarine-launched anti-ship missiles ·         Submarines equipped with surface-to-air missiles ·         Submarine-launched cruise missiles Your mission is to destroy a merchant ship with missiles, conduct a land strike with cruise missiles, and destroy an aircraft with surface-to-air missiles. You will have support from a friendly maritime patrol aircraft that will not be under your control.

German turn 3 and the Germans are starting to hit some solid resistance. In the north Stugs to extend and go around the US flank - but they run into the rest of the Greyhound recon unit. The I/294 Bn mauls a US HQ unit but does not get across the stream/river. The II/294 Bn runs into 2 US Inf Bns and gets disrupted - not good. Looking at the 3 US Inf Bn and Recon units it does not look like the Germans will be able to drive down the diagonal center road. Maybe the Stugs can make a dash to the road to the north next turn and make a dash for the US VP hexes… In the center, the 295th Reg units move forward and continue to keep the US Inf Reg units engaged. In the south, with the arrival of the US Inf Bn last turn, it means the Germans will have to assault the town instead of a quick outflanking maneuver. One Inf Bn assaults the exposed US Art Bn and causes it to break and retreat setting up the Ger Bn for the assault on Blejaf next turn. The other Inf and Eng Bn move up next to the town f...

 Some initial lessons learned, both old and new: Travel mode - This is a basic guideline written into the rules - only use travel mode for your units behind the lines. If they are fired on/attacked while in travel mode they are more vulnerable to casualties. Use deployed units to screen units in travel mode from the enemy. The problem with this specific scenario is there are a lot of streams with bridges (only crossable in travel mode) and traveling on forest/road/snow hexes can only be done at more than 1 hex per turn in travel mode. This scenario has only 9 turns so speed is of the essence. So at least for the starting terrain (forest/roads/snow), the Germans need to stay in travel mode as long as possible - even to contact with the enemy.  Unit Movement - Somewhat new lesson, especially in the congested terrain/roads - only move one unit at a time and try to avoid moving thru other units. Otherwise depending on the stacking limit of the terrain in the hex you end up with tr...

 Now for the last test - the IJN First and Second waves attack the Nimitz. In the movie, the Nimitz captured one of the Zero pilots and brought him back to the ship with the yacht survivors. Later during questioning, he overpowered his guard and held the survivors' hostage. His demand was to radio his fleet but he became distracted when the CAG thru an interpreter described in detail the upcoming IJN attack. A marine tried to take advantage and gunfire was exchanged - 1 Marine and 1 Japanese pilot dead. Now instead the pilot gets his demands, they let him radio his fleet, and he warns them and maybe somehow relays the lat/long of the Nimitz secretly. The IJN Admiral agrees to call off the Pearl attack, but as the Hawkeye monitors the first wave instead of seeing them return to the IJN carriers they turn west. Adm Nagumo recognizes the Nimitz as the greater threat and unleashes the already airborne First Wave on her… In response, the Nimitz launches all available F-14s and redirects...

 Here goes the 2nd test. This time the strategy is to wait until the Japanese actually start attacking Pearl before declaring hostilities. But that doesn't mean the Nimitz won't be "locked and loaded" at that point - just like in the movie. Below is the initial detection of the IJN fleet on December 6th. During most of the day on the 6th the Nimitz steams NNE at 25kts to close the IJN Fleet for a strike the next morning. Later in the night she turns East to split the range equally between the IJN Fleet and Pearl. Dawn slowly breaks over Pearl and Battleship Row… 0600 Dec 7th - over the next 2hrs history will be dramatically changed (so much for my Histrionics). At 0600 the IJN starts launching their First Wave. In anticipation, the Nimitz launches an air group (9 F-14's, 1 A-6D Tanker, 1 E-2C) to patrol off of Oahu to the west. Their mission is to watch the IJN First Wave and then attack it after the first bomb/torpedo is dropped. Below is an image at 0646. The IJ...