Factory Town

Read JasonC's comments on this AAR.

Setting

I wanted to see what fighting in a factory was like and I wanted to try out the editor, so I designed a little scenario to play. The Germans are defending a small town with a large factory. The factory is surrounded by some large buildings and a scattering of houses beyond them. A main road runs past the factory and out of town toward my starting area. There are some patches of trees on my approach but mostly an open field. I will begin behind a wooded ridge overlooking the town.

Forces

I have an infantry company and a pioneer company as well as several Maxims and three 82mm forward observers. They will be supported by a platoon of three T-34s and a truck. My plan is to move a platoon of infantry down the left and right, see what resistance I encounter, and shift the rest of my forces in response. My tanks will line up on the road in the cover of the trees and come forward as needed. The truck is loaded up with two Maxims. Once a foothold is established at the edge of town I will rush them forward to help out.

Action

Turn 1

On both the left and right I take half a split squad and walk them forward with move to contact orders to see what's out there. The rest of their platoons wait in cover to hear back from these scouts. Neither of them encounters any resistance. I expected those guys out in the open to be fired on. I have overwatching Maxims in the left, center, and right of the trees, but I doubt the enemy could see them so I'm surprised nobody is firing yet.

Turn 2

I send the rest of 2nd platoon (on the left) and 1st platoon (on the right) forward. The right side is more open farther back so a forward machine gun will be helpful over there and since they are so slow, I'll start one of my reserves moving in that direction now. The squad scouting forward on the left is almost to the pine trees when he is fired on from a small house ahead and to his right. 1st platoon (on the right) is fired on by a machine gun. Several guys run for cover (including Lt. Mukhin). They can't see the gun but it sounds like it's in the distant right, in front of the flagged building over there.

Turn 3

Area firing on enemy positions with two of my 82s. I'll move the center overwatching Maxim for a hopefully better angle on the left. The reserve maxim moving on the right will look for a shot from some scattered trees. I send the first T-34 down the road to fire on the central house that enemy fire is coming from. More enemy infantry shows itself in the houses ahead of the pines and a lot of artillery begins falling on 2nd platoon advancing in that direction. The are in the open with no cover and by the end of the turn many are routed and running back to the rear. The machine gun is still firing on the right. Most of 1st platoon finds cover and keeps their heads down, but Lt. Mukhin is in a complete panic and running away as fast as his legs will take him.

Turn 4

As artillery continues to fall on the left more men from 2nd platoon panic and run toward the rear. Some of the shells fall in the pines and cause a squad to run back toward the rear, into the open field where most of the artillery is falling. On the right most of the men find cover and the machine guns stops.

Turn 5

The artillery I ordered a couple turns ago starts falling in the center (setting a house on fire) and far right. I push 3rd platoon up for a more central attack after my artillery falls. They will aim for the church and large building near the main road and my forward T-34.

Turn 6

Artillery keeps falling on the left and the remaining men panic and start to run back. Fortunately, they end up staying in what cover they have. I get 3rd platoon moving down the center and send a Maxim along. They spot infantry crossing the main road ahead of them moving in and out of the factory. They fire but it's too far to be effective. The enemy begins to smoke the area of my tank heavily, which is fine with me because it provides cover for my advancing infantry. 1st platoon is attempting to regroup a little on the right and I move B company's two pioneer platoons up to be ready to jump off and support the action in the center and right.

Turn 7

The smoke may have been to cover an attack on my tank. Several infantry squads appear moving in his direction. 3rd platoon is nearing the church and they fire on the advancing infantry. I send the second T-34 down the road to help out too. Even one of the shaken squads still in the pines recovers enough to fire in their direction. They are all turned back. The Maxim moving with 3rd platoon gets turned back by machine gun fire from that same sound contact in the far right.

Turn 8

A couple enemy squads are eliminated in the center. The far right machine gun that I still can't see pins my Maxim moving on the right.

Turn 9

I send the third T-34 to the far right to find and stop that damn machine gun over there. I let 1st platoon (on right) rest and collect themselves. I'll try to regroup them and push forward later. I order 2nd platoon, B company to move out toward the large building across from the church. My men are moving into the church and engaging enemy infantry as they appear in nearby houses.

Turn 10

On the left every man in 2nd platoon is rattled by that artillery that landed on them early and they are scattered around a large area. I haven't seen a lot of action over on that side so I tell them to try to reassemble in the pine trees. As 2nd platoon, B company approaches the edge of town they are fired on by that machine gun at the right. Is there anything can't he see from there? My T-34 arrives in his area but still can't see him. I figure he must be in the heavy building with the flag.

Turn 11

I target an 82mm on the right flag and area fire on the building with the overwatching Maxim on the right. I back the T-34 to the map edge for a better angle on the building, too. Unfortunately, as he's driving away the gun is finally spotted in a little house that he was just next to, not in the heavy building after all. The T-34 follows his orders, though, and heads off to the far right. Back in the center I learn that the heavy building across from the church is occupied and the pioneer platoon I sent toward it is turned back under heavy fire. I'll try to get them into the church to help from there.

Turn 12

I push 2nd platoon up to the front of the pines. There's a sound contact out in front of them somewhere but they can't see it (maybe because they're hiding). I try to regroup 2nd platoon, B company but there is a lot of firing from the heavy building and down the street and they mostly end up trying to crawl away. The T-34 on the street has been blasting away at the infantry in the heavy building and it's beginning to show some damage. On the right I tell the tank to fire on the machine gun team but they never get the chance. A gun at the far edge of the map has sighted him and knocks him out immediately. He and another gun continue firing until the whole crew is killed. First platoon over there is rested and now moving to a stand of scattered trees farther forward.

Turn 13

I pull one of the tanks from the center and order him to swing around to the right and deal with that machine gun. As he pulls away he and the men in the church fire across the street as a Jäger squad and platoon HQ are seen entering buildings nearby. I order artillery on the machine gun also.

Turn 14

The tank arrives at the right but fires at a Jäger squad instead of the machine gun. Most of my men in the center are concentrated in the church now, and most of them are running low on ammo.

Turn 15

I shift my men in the church around so that those with more ammo are on the sides facing enemy held buildings. I also point the tank at the little house that the machine gun team is in. Artillery starts falling and the machine gun finally looks suppressed.

Turn 16

The situation around the church isn't as stable as I'd like, but I send the truck to drop off the two Maxims there anyway. My men are running low on ammo and a fresh Maxim could make a big difference there. Some infantry has been spotted in the trees near where my T-34 was taken out and I send 1st platoon after them. The pioneer platoon in the brush behind them will move up to take their place. Now that the machine gun is out of sight the tank can turn around and support this advance. I cancel the artillery also. This naturally leads to the machine gun opening fire again.

Turn 17

Two of the squads in the pine trees unhide for a better view, while holding their fire. They still can't figure out where that sound contact actually is, but off to their left troops are seen entering a large building. An overwatching Maxim way in the rear sees them too and opens fire. The Maxims are fired on as they jump out of the truck. One makes it to the small house they're next to, the other panics and tries to run away. The T-34 on the right fires an HE round at the machine gunner's house and it's blown to bits. Could I finally be rid of that pesky machine gun?

Turn 18

There is a lot of fire in the center as the truck backs away. Men are emerging from the buildings farther down the main road and my overwatching Maxim in the rear is firing on them. First platoon runs into enemy infantry in the forest.

Turn 19

A number of squads have been seen farther down the main road so I order all remaining artillery to be dropped on that area. The Maxim that got off the truck (and didn't panic) has had a minute to rest so I tell him to move up to the church and find a good spot on the second floor. There is a lot of shooting in the area, though, and he's soon on his belly crawling forward. First platoon drives what turns out to be a Jäger squad out of the trees. They run from house to house trying to get away.

Turn 20

On the left I have a couple squads attempt to move out of the pines and into the houses in front of them. One is quickly turned back by gunfire from the house. The other gets pretty close before the flamethrower there shoots at them. In the center a lot of scattered squads are coming forward toward the church area.

Turn 21

I'm clearly not going to get 2nd platoon out of those pines so I tell them to sit tight with limited cover arcs. A squad on the extreme left makes a crazy run toward my rear. As he runs through the open the overwatching Maxim over there opens fire on him. That makes him rethink his plans and he turns to head toward the pines. My men don't like that so they fire on him too. That turns him right back around toward the building he came from. After some area firing on the heavy building across from the church it looks abandoned. On the right I'm collecting all my troops together in the woods.

Turn 22

There is a lot of firing in the center and someone enters the building across from the church before I can make plans to move someone there.

Turn 23

Moving forward from trees on the right, my men take one nearby house. Some artillery begins falling in the area of the factory.

Turn 24

My men take another house on the right and the guns in the far corner that took out my tank start firing on my men as they emerge from the woods. My artillery is falling over an incredibly wide area because none of the observers had a line of sight to the factory area. That's okay, it's just meant to keep some heads down in the enemy's rear. I just realized that my truck was knocked out at some point and is burning.

Turn 26

Firing continues in center, but is dwindling. Unless something big happens we're at a standoff. I'm just waiting it out now.

Turn 28

The Maxim team, that's been crawling toward the church dragging their gun behind them for the last ten minutes, is finally in place in the church now that he can do very little good.

Result

At the end of turn 30 the battle was over. I suffered a minor defeat (38%). I still had more men OK, I only took about two thirds as many casualties, and only half as many dead, but I was fought to a standstill without getting anywhere near the flags.

Of my two initial advances, one was crushed with artillery, and one was heavily impeded by a lone machine gun. The push up the center worked mostly because it was under the cover of the enemy's smoke. Attempts to reinforce the center with a platoon of pioneers and some Maxims were easily stymied by suppressive fire. The tanks I kept alive were helpful. I got only a little useful work out of my Maxims and my artillery usage was scattered and lacked a plan.

Conclusions

I didn't really have a plan, let alone a good one, going into this battle. Maybe I set the forces too lopsided, but this battle could be winnable. I think a more focused attack on one of the sides would be better. I would suppress the area with preplanned artillery fire and then blanket some smoke to cover my advance. I'd try to get A company into the heavy building on the right under that cover and advance building to building from there.