Shelter from the Rain

• Quick Battle
• 500pt Meeting Engagement
• High quality Hungarian Cavalry vs. Medium Quality Romanian Mountain
• Played as allies, gave axis +10% handicap and +1 computer bonus

Setting

April 1945, South. As dusk settles in I am ordered to secure a nearby crossroads. The extreme heat is getting to my men. There is not a breath of wind and the rain we are in is no help. The wet, muddy ground slows everyone down and we can't see far through this thick fog.

This crossroads is home to what the locals call a "village", nothing more than a few small, dirty, scattered hovels. Trees are reportedly thin, but it is just hilly enough to make visibility tricky in these poor conditions. At last report the villagers had cleared out and the area was completely unoccupied, but Hungarian infantry are reported moving into the area.

Forces

I command a Mountain Rifle Company (three Rifle Platoons, each containing three Rifle 44 squads and a 60mm mortar) supplemented with three ZB30 light machine gun teams and two Maxims. We're in a hurry to secure the crossroads before the Hungarians get there so I have been allocated two trucks to help move my men.

Action

I put a Maxim into one of the trucks. Loc Manolescu from 1st platoon will also ride, and one of his squads will get a lift in the other truck. They are heading toward house 4, from which they will have a pretty good view of the crossroads area. The rest of 1st platoon (with an LMG) will head forward on foot to the trees just behind it. The other Maxim and LMGs will move with 2nd platoon to the scattered trees nearby. Third platoon will act as a reserve and hang back in some trees farther behind.

The men and trucks start moving out. We estimate visibility at under 200m. On this muddy ground the trucks I was given to help us out move more slowly that the men on foot.

A squad from 2nd platoon enters house 2 and a squad from 1st platoon enters house 4. They and their men nearby can make out Hungarian troop across the road moving into the opposite houses. I guess we weren't quite fast enough. Some shots are exchanged, but with this visibility, nothing is very effective.

While this is going on, one of the trucks bogs down in the mud and is soon abandoned by its driver. My men head forward on foot.

I have Sol. Arghezi (with 1st platoon's mortar) back up to a position where he'll have line of sight to the opposite houses on the left and minimum distance to fire. Sol. Paduriou takes 2nd platoon's mortar forward so he can see houses 12 and 13, where Hungarian infantry are seen converging.

Enemy infantry is approaching from the far center and left. Nobody reported on the right yet, but I direct a Maxim over there for cover just in case.

As soon as the mortars are set up they begin firing on houses 9 and 12. With this to keep the enemy busy I move an LMG and a squad from 2nd platoon ahead to house 3.

A minute later I decide to move Loc. Mocioalca's 3rd platoon up to the pines on the left. The Maxim on the right flank will move up, too. I'll leave an LMG to take his place. I'm glad for the extra firepower, because I'm starting to come under a lot of fire from houses 9 and 10. It scatters 3rd platoon. My men in house 4 are returning fire, and Ser. Puscas (3rd platoon) dashes his men across the street to house 7 for a better angle.

I wait about two minutes for 3rd platoon to regroup and get in position to provide support from the pines on the left. Ser. Sali from 1st platoon takes his squad and an LMG team and advances across the road to house 9. Sol. Arghezi is supposed to soften it up with his mortar, but never fires.

Shooting on the move, my men enter house 9 and eliminate the Hungarian squad there. Apparently Sol. Andea didn't understand his orders because he and his LMG team just keep walking, right into house 10. A crack cavalry squads meets them there. They are outnumbered and taken down in hand to hand fighting.

I decide not to rush into house 10, but wait a bit first. The cavalry squad shows its face and gets fired on by Loc. Mocioalca across the way in house 7 as well as the troops in the nearby pines. Then they lay low for about a minute and a half before making a dash for house 12. They cross the street at a desperate run and everyone that can see them opens fire. Not one man makes it to house 12.

At this point the enemy is mostly in houses 12 and 13, and the field behind them. I tell my men to conserve ammo and not fire on anyone farther than 80 or 90 meters. We all lay low for a couple minutes.

There are still troops in 12 and 13 so I tell Sol. Paduriou to fire his mortar on both of them. A squad is sighted trying to get into house 11. He's fired at and retreats. Later, he makes a dash under fire to house 13. He gets there and tries to advance from the other side, but is soon pinned down. While he's moving across a couple squads that have been hiding in 13 try to move up to 12. My men have the area covered now, though, and one is shot down while the other is pinned.

Their few remaining troops gather in house 13. They are beaten and plan their withdrawal.

Result

Total Victory (88%). Casualties were 84 (22 KIA) to my 11 (3 KIA). I need to be giving the computer bigger bonuses.

Conclusion

In bad visibility, taking distant shots is ineffective. I eventually limited most of my men with cover arcs that stretched only to the point where their weapons became really effective. That meant letting a lot of guys move around on the other side of the street but made sure shots were effective when fired. I also tried to spread out my men so that more could see and fire on the enemy. Covering fire from two different directions (house 4 and the pines on the left) helped the advance on house 9. In these conditions the trucks were absolutely worthless.