McIvan's View - Clash at Pavlograd - McIvan v [hirr]Leto

[McIvan]

Reinforcements! Exce........oh crap :(



What the hell am I going to do with a bunch of 20mm armoured cars!?! There's not a chance in hell that they'll penetrate a T70 or a Stuart, and the terrain on the left is very open.



Gallantly, I decide to hide them for the moment, clumped together with the Sd251/9 &10. If anything does come after them, at least there's a bit of safety in 20mm hail fire. I can also get some coverage over the woods leading to the central bridge without exposing my ACs to the tanks on Hill 165. At least the AA quad 20mm will be useful in this role if some Soviet aircraft should happen by.

The infantry can move forward to thebridge. You know, I'm not at all sure that Leto has actually reached or garrisoned the Grainery as yet. If I actually had some decent reinforcements, I would be highly tempted to move forward and probe it. This would be dumb, given the overall strategy is to draw him forward on the left. But I'm still tempted nonetheless.

I'm also very tempted to break up the infantry platoon and have it partly strengthen the Hill 161 garrison. But, again, splitting platoons is dumb unless you absolutely have to. Secondly, as mentioned, I don't see an attack developing imminently from the Grainery direction, meaning Hill 161 should be safe for the moment.

Next is the main battleground. Deciding to bring everything into play, the orders go like this...



Both the PIIIs on the left road branch get their hunt orders repositioned to send them over the rise and into combat, and in both instances get changed to "Fast". No point getting there too late.

One of the two lead light tanks is a T60, which the 20mm of my AC can penetrate, so both the AC and the Sd251/10 get orders to hunt. Hopefully the Russians will either be in reverse and/or targetted firmly on the PIIIs, giving the German light armour a chance to get a shot or two in.

Last we have the Small Arms Factory.


Time to get the halftracks out from the front, as the Russkie light armour is likely to tear them a new one. The Sd251/9 hooks round the side, hoping to catch the Russkie HT on top of the embankment if it reverses course again. The German infantry proceed through the buildings, with the HQ moving up to support its squads.

Back a ways the PIII on the railway embankment has been changed to hunt orders....thats still reasonably fast, and I might as well take the Russian HT being offered. Also, I suspect it has a good chance to get LOS to any number of targets as it proceeds.

Some of my infantry on the PIIIs is a bit exposed, due to me forgetting to give them disembark orders last turn, but hopefully the Russian tanks will be too tied up getting the hell out and/or shooting back to have much time to shred the German infantry.