The colored lines represent movement to engagement and speed of movement

Light Purple = Move Fast

Blue = Move

Yellow = Sneak

Dark Purple = enemy Hetzer movement

 

Notice I moved fast some units up to where I though they could do so without being spotted then sneaked them into position.

The Green lines represent AT kill zones determined during setup.

I always try to cover the VL’s with some sort of heavy weapon. Having checked the map during the requisition screen, I had decided to get a couple of AT guns for this purpose. The clear fields of fire were determined by moving them to different spots, selecting fire, and watching the line turn from green to red. Next I selected the best concealed spot by watching the unit outline.

The Red lines represent engagement of targets or enemy fire.

 

The numbered Red X’s are the locations of my dead tanks in the order they were killed. The numbered Black X’s are the locations of dead German armor or support vehicles in the order they were killed.

After moving my infantry into position to locate German armor, I spotted a King Tiger crossing the stream just west of the center VL. Without thinking, I rushed my 1 JSIII command tank to the rescue, HA! Before he traveled 100 meters down the road he exploded in a ball of fire, I suppose a hidden AT gun took him out, but I never saw it. While the JSIII was being cooked I took aim with my own southernmost AT gun to light up the 1 King Tiger which was moving toward the center VL. It took a couple of shots but he went up just like my JSIII.

While this was happening I had gotten my Northern group into position around their assigned VL. They didn’t have to wait long before German infantry showed up. I thought, I’ve got you now! and began hosing them down with my T-34 flamer and infantry. A 2 MarkIV came rumbling through the woods to support the attacking Germans, only to meet with the same firey fate. Little did I realize, coming from my northern flank was H a German Hetzer flame tank, with fire in its eyes. I turned my T-34 to take him but it was to slow. Before my 2 T34 could get lined up for a shot, it became the next item on the barbeque. After seeing this my infantry, that was still alive on the hill, broke and tried to run or surrendered.

As more German infantry began to roll out of hiding and approach the center VL that their King Tiger failed to take, I began a mortar barrage on these troops, trying to suppress them long enough for my 3 T-34 flamer to move fast from its hiding spot in the south, through the bottom VL, to counterattack. As it was passing through this VL it came under fire from the same source as my JSIII had earlier. I attempted to bring it back into cover of the trees but without any luck.

The tide was turning in favor of the Germans, but I still had a couple of aces, or so I thought. I started my JSU152 on its long trek to the northwest hoping to catch the Hetzer by surprise. I also pointed my reserve engineer squad north through the woods to try and retake the northern VL. As they were sneaking, they came upon another 3 Mark IV that was defending the hill. A brief firefight erupted in which neither the tank nor my engineers came out a clear winner. They lit it up with their flamethrower, but he had already cut down a large number of troops, which were mopped up with his remaining infantry.

By now my infantry and center AT gun had come under a withering mortar and rocket barrage, which took out my AT gun, and suppressed or destroyed my infantry defending the center VL. As my 4 JSU152 was crossing the stream it came under fire from the Hetzer and met with the same fate as all other flame tank opponents. At the same time a 4 Rocket Carrier was spotted crossing the road to the north. I suppose he was moving up to add MG support while reloading, anyway he never got the chance. He was destroyed with a shot from my southern AT gun.

All that was left now was for the Hetzer to continue its trip of destruction through my rear area. My mortars survived by hiding as he passed but he had spotted my southern AT gun and had revenge on his mind. He showed up behind it, and before the crew could turn to fire, they were "ON" fire. At this point my only option was to flee from the battlefield, and hope to meet this worthy foe again someday.