It was nice day at the Whiz Sunday a bunch of magics players doing their thing (a draft tournament I think) and Mark and I got to do a nice battle some where in northern France. Mark was running 21st Panzer division. He had two platoons of 4 Panzer IVs; a battery of 3 Lorriane Schleppers, a short platoon of panzer grenadiers (on foot) a trio or Quad 2cm Flack guns and a King Tiger. I was running 7th Armor I had my Company commander in an Easy 8 Sherman and my 2ic in a Jumbo. I had a "fast" tank platoon of 5 M4A3 Shermans (two up gunned to 76mm guns) and a "slow" platoon with a Jumbo, 2 Easy 8 Shermans and 2 M4 Shermans. The rest of my force consisted of a recon platoon, and armored mortar platoon a Infantry platoon (all Confident Trained) and a Confident Veteran battery of 105s. I started with my fast Tank platoon, Infantry and Artillery on the board as we both had delayed reserves(neither of us got a reserve until turn 6) . Mark got to go first and advanced his Tiger toward my right taking one shot at my Jumbo (2iC) which missed.
Mark tried to go over the hedge with his Panzer Ivs (he had one panzer platoon the Schleppers and the King Tiger on the board) as three of his 4 tanks go belly up on the Hedgerow... I was tempted to take shots but stuck to my plan sending my tanks to the left.
My artillery got in the first of several kills taking out on of the Schleppers and reducing Mark to a two gun battery.
The Tiger prowls his way though the village trying to gun down my observer but I made my save.
My tanks swing wide around the hedge row... I could have go through(I had hedgerow cutters) but I opted to move around.
My artillery strikes again killing one Panzer and bailing two more... Mark has to motivate and passes.
Bog fest continues as the German commander is stuck in the woods
The American commander has similar problems trying to get over the low hedge.
My artillery takes out another panzer and this time Mark's platoon flees.
I took six shots at the German CO and missed them all... the tiger kills my platoon leader and the German 2iC snipes my Sherman 76 but only bails it out.
The American CO has gotten free of the hedge and races to firing position... as Odd Ball said the only place to hit a Tiger is in its
ASS! I got a lucky shot and blow up the Tiger. Mark passes company moral as he had only 1 platoon still on the board. But now he has more
New Panzer IVs advance against my leaderless platoon and kill another Sherman. My slow Shermans arrive and push forward not quite where I want them but following up the attack on the left isn't a bad thing.
We drive though the Hedgerow and only have one tank bogged down. I also start my infantry forward and take out Mark's lone observer.
Mark however has his Quad Flak guns in position...
and their fire is devastating... I get shot in on his panzers and force that platoon to check and it runs.. Mark is no the ropes but...
using an audacious move his Flack trucks crash through the Hedgrow and hammer my command tanks with fire. Its a Hail Mary strike and like most of it doesn't work out the way Mark hoped.
He also managed an assault that bailed one of my Sherman 76s (wish I had gotten his men swarming the tank) I then failed my counter attack motivation test but Mark had to test his platoon's moral and they flee this gives me a hard fought victory. Scoring wise this is a 6-1 win for me which is one of the problems with the flames of war scorning system. Mark rendered on of my Sherman Platoons ineffective even thought 3 of its tanks were still operable, he should get a point for that.
This was my first win with the 7th Armored Division... Trained tanks are hard to push for me but I had a good game both tacitly and the dice were kind.
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