THE MAIN EVENT II! Lord Bane vs. Matteponk

[Der Kuenstler]

Thanks guys - and now minute 5:

To the North Matteponk changes his mind - he backs his regular IV70 up and starts hunting it through the scattered trees. He sends a green IVJ straight up the road with a HMG rider. He orders his other green IVJ to pivot towards the T34s to the North and hunt. Matteponk does everything right, but the green crew fails him. They fire at LB's lead buttoned T34 from the side but miss - they then take a full 13 seconds to reload while the vet T34 turns it's turret - both tanks fire at each other at the same time - the green IVJ misses again but the T34 doesn't -boom - another knockout!



Town center: Matteponk's two IV70s continue to hunt up the road until they are even with the main flag - buttoned and blind - they are WAY too close - what are they trying to do? A conscript IVJ (also buttoned) turns south behind them and moves up the drive of the church - perhaps to shell some approaching infantry. We can see he's too late - a guards '44 squad is already entering the church.



What's worse, the poor crew of reluctant old men and amputees has driven right into the sights of one of Lord Bane's vet T34s to the South.



Further South, Matteponk's bad luck continues. Here his Pz IV70 blasts one of LB's T34s square in its vulnerable side - and nothing happens. To the East, one of Bane's bogged tanks digs itself out and moves to join the others.



It pays to use roads - here is a shot of Matteponk's infantry approaching. Notice his FOs, which have to drag wire and move at "slow," are actually getting there faster than the SMG platoon near the bottom of the pic which is moving through snow.



Here is an overall shot from the South showing the front lines - notice Lord Bane's Russian infantry have a toehold in every building with a flag already. Matteponk's infantry are still floundering - constantly pinning from small arms and tank MG fire.



But Matteponk has artillery to root LB out. Matteponk also has a lot more infantry than Lord bane, most of them equipped with Pzfst 60s or Pzfst 100s - he may need every one of them before this is over.