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my dad posted:By that time, there will be infantry in the central trenches - best case ours, worst case enemy. I'll follow the order, but are you sure you want it phrased that way? What would be your preferred alternate course of action?
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Mar 25, 2017 06:52
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my dad posted:I'd like having a clear idea of what I'm supposed to do. What if I spot/engage the enemy while I'm in a trench and the conditions for me moving out are met, should I stay or should I go? Dealing with enemies directly in my path is easy, but I need to know what my guys are to do if there's friendly units already in the center trench when the other infantry brigade reaches the woods. Is there an alternative position you want my guys in? Fair enough. I'll make my intentions clearer. Your mission for the next two sets of turns is simple: 1) Prevent the Germans from crossing the M3 and M4 ford. 2) Destroy or delay German forces trying to cross the M1 or the M2 fords. To clarify my earlier orders. If you are relieved by 7th Infantry Division and the center trench is already occupied, then move north into the Effyaders forest and support the ACs covering the northern fords.* *one conditional to this: if you are relieved by the infantry, but the Germans have made breakthrough in the south -- then move to a good defensive position to cut off the Germans or hit them from the flank. I recommend you deploy in the southern edge of the Effyaders forest to do this. Does that answer your questions?
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Mar 25, 2017 14:05
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Loel-- I need something cleared up. What do you want the cav to be doing once the infantry get to Effyaders? Right now, there are three options being bounced around in Roll20. 1) secure the northern part of Effyaders woods and leave the south to the infantry. With the cav being prepared to pull out and rush south as a mobile reserve, if needed. 2) have the cavalry fill the gap between the Effydaders trenches. They can support the infnatry with ranged weapons or with counter-charges against charging German infantry. 3) have the cavalry completely pull out of the line to act as a mobile reserve.
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Mar 25, 2017 15:43
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my dad posted:Not gonna complain about my unit's performance, that's for sure. You can certainly put a feather in your cap for that last turn. Medals and a knighthood for everyone! And it'd seem all our planning last night has gone right out the windows. No plan survives contact with the enemy and all that 
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Mar 26, 2017 10:41
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Trin, some rules questions: 1)Can cav charge into units already in melee? 2)Can cav charge through/over friendly units?
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Mar 26, 2017 15:30
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Loel posted:Division Commanders, talk to me. Loel, I'm going to order the 7th Cavalry Brigade to charge the Germans in the northern forest. Half the cav chits will be in contact within 1 turn (assuming remounting doesn't eat a turn). The other half will be in contact in 2 turns. We will continue charging until the forest is clear of Germans or the 7th Cavalry Brigade is destroyed. After that, what would you like the cavalry to do? Hold the M1-M3 fords? Request that the infantry brigade in the center be ordered north into the Effyaders forest to support the cavalry's attack. For fire support -- fire one turn of indirect fire on the western chits of the German brigade. After that, stop to avoid friendly fire. Terrifying Effigies posted:Depending on the situation in the south at nightfall, I'd propose some additional trenches across the M7 road and possibly some wire between the trenchline and ford as shown in red below. These are more nice to haves than critical though. The fact that German brigade appeared on the extreme south of the map, rather than across the ford tells us they've built a bridge there (and then fortified it with wire) Loot at how they were crossing the river. There's no ford there. 
Bacarruda fucked around with this message at 03:59 on Mar 27, 2017 |
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Mar 27, 2017 03:51
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 Major-General Desmond de Vere Barrington, GCVO, DSO and Bar. General Officer Commanding 3rd Cavalry Division, British Expeditionary Force.  Division HQ Move to western trenches on the Effyaders Forest road. Connect wires. Break contact and get to safety if enemy infantry or cavalry get within firing range of DIV HQ's position. my dad, mount and charge the German infantry brigade to your north, continue attacking until the Effyaders Forest has been cleared of Germans. Once the forest is clear, deploy your men to cover the M1 and M2 fords with rnaged weapons. Recommend you move your Horse Artillery to the northern part of the Comma Trench in the Effyaders Forest so they can fire on Germans crossing the M2, M3, and M4. Good luck!
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Mar 27, 2017 03:57
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Trin, to clear things up: here's the locations of all the infantry Brigades: -22nd north -21st center -20th south And for those of you wondering about losses. Here's the closest numbers I could come up with. Casualties The Gallant BEF Armoured Car Brigade (Sixkiller) 10 chits lost -- 0% effective 6th Cavalry Brigade (xthetenth) 12 chits lost -- ~15% survived (1 surviving Cavalry Company and RHA battery joined the 7trh Cavalry ) 22nd Infantry Brigade (Eddy-Baby): 10 chits lost -- 54% effective 21st Infantry Brigade (mllaneza): 3 chits lost -- 86% effective* 20th Infantry Brigade (formerly Acebuckeye13): 8 chits lost -- 63% effective Engineer (Hunt11): 1 chit lost -- 75% effective The Filthy Hun 5 Cavalry Brigades Destroyed (70 chits) 1 Infantry Brigade Destroyed (16 chits) By my count, we've lost 43 chits against the Germans losses of 86 chits. That's a 2:1 Kill-Death ratio. If you count the ratio of brigades totally destroyed it's a 3.5:1 ratio. Not doing too badly at all, I'd say. *Trin, did you account for all the 21st Brigades' losses? By my count, they've lost 3 infantry chits and should only have 17 left. But the current count shows 19 infantry chits on the field.
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Mar 27, 2017 04:48
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Loel posted:What do you predict they will do next? It depends a lot on what forces they have in the field. If we assume Trin is following history, a German cavalry division c. 1914 has three cavalry brigades. We've killed five cavalry brigades and have spotted one weakened one in the north. So, they had 2 cavalry divisions...and now have 1/3rd of one. If Trin is using the same German infantry division organization from last game, then each German division has four brigades. If this is true, one of two things could be happening.* Case 1: the Germans have two divisions on the field. One in the north (one dead brigade one spotted, brigade, two unseen brigades) and one in the south (one spotted brigade, three unseen brigades). They are feeding them into the fight as fast as they get them Case 2: the Germans have one division on the field. They've sent two brigades north, one south, with the fourth unaccounted for. *Now, I'd assume that the Germans have 1-2 more infantry divisions on the way. They may be on the map already or may be arriving later today. Currently, it seems like Case 1 (two division): is the most likely German scenario. They are trying to split our forces up until the north or the south breaks. Then, they're going to try and pour in their reserves to exploit the gap and encircle our survivors. It's pretty similar to historical German tactics for this period -- they want a Kettleschlact. In the event that their current attacks fail, I suspect they'll throw in the towel and dig in on their side of the river OR they'll attempt a night assault on a single section of the line and then pour everything they have into it.
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Mar 27, 2017 08:05
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professor_curly posted:To illustrate what I think my_dad is proposing: I'd like to strongly advocate we have some arty fire for one turn on the westernmost German infantry chits in the Effyaders Forest. This will suppress and hopefully kill infantry who could shoot at 7th Cavalry Brigade during their first turn of charges and movement. If it's not feasible due to time delay, Change of Orders, etc. issues, then I understand. But I'd like to see if there's some way to engage those Germans with fire prior to the cavalry attacking. Bacarruda fucked around with this message at 13:13 on Mar 27, 2017 |
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Mar 27, 2017 13:07
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my dad posted:
Orders look good. I do have one question. What will the two RHA batteries and the MG team doing if they can;t get LOS on targets during the charge? Bacarruda fucked around with this message at 07:54 on Mar 28, 2017 |
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Mar 28, 2017 05:43
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conspriatorial fellow officers posted:my dad (GM): Also, we should probably tell Bac to retrat off the field. :v General Loel, I have no division
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Mar 29, 2017 06:03
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Trin Tragula posted:You are also informed that there are about 8 ordinary companies' worth of reinforcements available for attachment to any cavalry brigade whose command chit is still alive at 0800 tomorrow. Trin, can we have those eight cavalry chits attached to my division HQ? To make the rules gods happy, we can then convert my Division HQ into a Brigade HQ. That'll let me attach my scratch "brigade" to an infantry division for commands purposes, just like we did last game with the French cavalry brigade. Bacarruda fucked around with this message at 13:27 on Mar 29, 2017 |
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Mar 29, 2017 06:08
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Since I'm still waiting for the rest of my cavalry to show up, here's some pencil jottings a Major on my staff came up with. Casualties The Gallant BEF 3rd Cavalry Division (Bacarruda) -- 0% effective Armoured Car Brigade (Sixkiller) 10 chits lost -- 0% effective 6th Cavalry Brigade (xthetenth) 14 chits lost -- 0% effective 7th Cavalry Brigade (my dad) 14 chits lost -- 0% effective 7th Infantry Division (AbortRetryFail, acting general commanding; ThatBastardKen, general commanding) -- 63% effective 22nd Infantry Brigade (Istvun): 17 chits lost -- 0% effective (5 infantry chits rallied, will attach themselves to the 21st) 21st Infantry Brigade (mllaneza): 3 chits lost -- 86% effective* 20th Infantry Brigade (Terrifying Effigies): 8 chits lost -- 63% effective Artillery Brigade (lenoon): 0 chits lost -- 100% effective Engineer (Hunt11): 1 chit lost -- 75% effective The Filthy Hun 6 Cavalry Brigades Destroyed (84 chits) 3 Infantry Brigades Destroyed (48 chits) We've lost 63 chits against the Germans losses of 132 chits. We're now doing much better than 2:1 kills-to-losses. *Trin, I still think mllaneza' brigade has two extra infantry chits on the field. By my count, they should only have 17 infantry. -- Here's our current Table of Organization 3rd Cavalry Division: Major General Bacarruda, Alive and Active Armoured Car Brigade: Commander Sixkiller, KIA 6th Cavalry Brigade: Brigadier General xthetenth, KIA 7th Cavalry Brigade: Brigadier General my dad, KIA 7th Infantry Division: Brigadier General AbortRetryFail, acting general commanding: Alive and Active; Major General ThatBastardKen, Alive and Inactive 22nd Infantry Brigade: Istvun, KIA 21st Infantry Brigade: mllaneza, Alive and Active 20th Infantry Brigade: Terrifying Effigies, Alive and Active Artillery Brigade: lenoon, Alive and Active Royal Artillery: Lieutenant Colonel lenoon, Alive and active Royal Engineers: Lieutenant Colonel Hunt11, Alive and active  We need officers for these units, speak up now if you want a command! 8th Infantry Division: ??? 23rd Infantry Brigade: ??? 24th Infantry Brigade: ??? 25th Infantry Brigade: ??? Artillery Brigade: ??? Note: two brigades of our choice will arrive on Turn 40, and the remaining two will arrive on Turn 46.
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Mar 29, 2017 13:25
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Trin Tragula posted:Without access to my map so I can check that those eight chits actually exist; you can certainly try. You said that they'd be arriving this turn and would then attach themselves to the nearest surviving cavalry HQ, so I think they're not currently on the map. Bacarruda fucked around with this message at 03:39 on Mar 30, 2017 |
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Mar 30, 2017 03:17
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Loel, we need some guidance on the overall plan for this turn + what reinforcements we are going to choose for this turn. I recommend that we choose the two infantry brigades (the 23rd and the 24th) as our first reinforcements. We spend the next few turns hammering the northern Effyaders Forest and the M1, M2, and M3 fords with artillery fire. Meanwhile, the infantry and my cavalry get into position to mount an assault. Once everyone is in position, we send the 23rd, 24th, and 21st Infantry Brigades and BARRFORCE (my improvised cavalry brigade) in a massed charge to take the northern Effyaders. We use belt-buckle tactics to get in close, neutralizing their indirect fire. Once we take the forest, the 8th Infantry Division takes control of the forest and the 7th Infantry Division moves to control the center and the south. I recommend that the 8th dig trenches slightly within the forest so that German artillery hitting the edge of the forest will miss them -- obviously, they should leave a few scouts forward to spot artillery, so they can hit anyone hitting the M1-M3 fords. -- Major-General Desmond de Vere Barrington, GCVO, DSO and Bar. Officer Commanding, BARRFORCE  Marching order to the trenches in East Effyaders to meet with the Cavalry HQ chit. Once there, switch to battle order. When the 23rd Brigade is immediately on our flank, switch to battle order. When the 23rd begins their charge, advance in battle order, then charge any Germans to our east. Do not charge outside of the forest under any circumstance. Once enemy forces are destroyed, fall back to the Western Effyaders trenches. e: cavalry isn't arriving, will be coming in later as infantry, so disregard this. Bacarruda fucked around with this message at 10:05 on Mar 30, 2017 |
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Mar 30, 2017 05:15
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Loel posted:general ideas we're leaning towards: The northern plan looks good, although it's a bit of a gamble. I'm more concerned about the southern plan. Speaking as an observer, I think it's wise if we simply have the 20th fall back into the Bois De Blob to avoid German artillery hitting the J Trench. Then, they can move forwards during the night to dig a new trench in an unshelled area that can still over the M7 fords and the German bridges. If we are dead set on offensive action in the south, let's do it at night. Have the 20th cross under cover of darkness and then dig in on the far bank. If my reserve cavalry brigade is on the field, then can head south and follow the roads east until they hit the Chemins, then they can turn north and attack the German artillery at night. Once the guns are dead, they cav can fall back to our lines. I think it's a very risky plan and I'd rather use the cav as a mounted reserve. But, I thought I'd throw the idea out there. Bacarruda fucked around with this message at 07:31 on Mar 30, 2017 |
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Mar 30, 2017 06:46
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AbortRetryFail posted:Bacarruda I'm really confused by your post. I'm pretty sure I must have something wrong. Does night time not start immediately as of now? You're correct. Night rules should be in effect all next round. I misread Trin's earlier post about when night starts.
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Mar 30, 2017 07:31
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Loel posted:one division commander bacarruda gets lost on the way to tallis sud Loel, here are two plans that I'd like you to consider. If you don't confirm which one you want, I will default to Plan 1. ******* TRIN, CONSIDER THESE MY ORDERS FOR THIS TURN Plan 1: Sab'ring the Gunners There I go after the German gun lines around Steth, circle the town to cut all the wires, then try to make it home. Trin, I apologize for the complexity in advance. You've been a champion working with the complex stuff my division has been throwing you so far and I really, really appreciate your patience with us Use Marching Orders on the yellow lines. Switch to Battle Order on the red lines. **When I reach the first white circle, I'd like to apply a new set of conditional orders. For lack of a better name, I have called these "Aggressive Orders." When I reach the second white circle, revert back to the "While Moving" orders. NOTE: If there is only 1 hour of night left and I am still not back on the British side of the river, head for the nearest forest and hide there until the next night. Once Night 3 falls, we will head back home using our pre-planned route. Standing Orders -- WHILE MOVING -Turn and move directly away from enemy if 3+ enemy chits are spotted. Once contact is broken, move around the enemy and then continue to destination -If 1-2 enemy chits are spotted, launch a Cavalry Charge -Pursue retreating enemies. -Once enemies are destroyed, continue planned movements. **Standing Orders -- AGGRESSIVE ORDERS -When sighting enemy chits, launch a cavalry charge -Kill all active enemies, then pursue retreating enemies. -Once all sighted enemies are destroyed, continue planned movements. ***** TRIN, IGNORE THESE  Plan 2: The Long Ride. I hug the edge of the map, cut the Chemins wires, and then locate Tallis Sud. Then, with the hillside/escarpment always on my right, I move north and cut wires whenever I find them. I hole up in the Ferme Chatte and then wait for the next night to try and ride home. Orders for Tonight (Night 2) -Use Marching Orders on the yellow lines. Switch to Battle Order on the red lines. Standing Orders -- WHILE MOVING -Turn and move directly away from enemy if 3+ enemy chits are spotted. Once contact is broken, move around the enemy and then continue to destination -If 1-2 enemy chits are spotted, launch a Cavalry Charge -Pursue retreating enemies. -Once enemies are destroyed, continue planned movements. Standing Orders -- WHILE STATIONARY -Dismount -Hide -Do not fire unless fired upon Orders for Night 3 -Head due south to the edge of the map, then hug the map edge and head due west until we reach the Bois de Blob. These standing orders apply Standing Orders -- WHILE MOVING -Turn and move directly away from enemy if 3+ enemy chits are spotted. Once contact is broken, move around the enemy and then continue to destination -If 1-2 enemy chits are spotted, launch a Cavalry Charge -Pursue retreating enemies. -Once enemies are destroyed, continue planned movements. Bacarruda fucked around with this message at 14:10 on Mar 30, 2017 |
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Mar 30, 2017 12:52
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professor_curly posted:Actually, I think the best use for Barracuda, if he can get those cavalry reinforcements, would be for him to do an audit of the river and try to see if there are any new bridges being built/shoot up engineers that are trying. Unfortunately, Trin has axed me getting cav reinforcements. Those 8 cav chits were were supposed to get will not be arriving. Instead, we will get 8 infantry chits as reinforcements at a later time. If I had any hope of getting more cav on the map, then I wouldn't be considering making such a bold ride. Loel posted:Option 2 seems safer, is there a reason you want option 1? The riskiest plan -- going after their artillery, will cause the most disruption to their artillery, which seems to be their biggest advantage over us. If I can kill some guns and force them to pull front-line troops back to defend their guns for fear of another attack, then it'll be worth it. And since my ride will probably end in certain death, I'd rather go out killing some Huns with a sword than get sniped trying to cut down a telephone pole. My division has spent this entire game doing recklessly brave things, violating common sense, and dying horribly for its trouble. I might as well do the same.
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Mar 30, 2017 16:24
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The Long Ride. I hug the edge of the map, cut the Chemins wires, and then locate Tallis Sud. Then, with the hillside/escarpment always on my right, I move north and cut wires whenever I find them. I hole up in the Ferme Chatte and then wait for the next night to try and ride home. Orders for Tonight (Night 2) -Use Marching Orders on the yellow lines. Switch to Battle Order on the red lines. Standing Orders -- WHILE MOVING -Turn and move directly away from enemy if 3+ enemy chits are spotted. Once contact is broken, move around the enemy and then continue to destination -If 1-2 enemy chits are spotted, launch a Cavalry Charge -Pursue retreating enemies. -Once enemies are destroyed, continue planned movements. Standing Orders -- WHILE STATIONARY -Dismount -Hide -Do not fire unless fired upon Orders for Night 3 -Head due south to the edge of the map, then hug the map edge and head due west, cross the German bridge in the south (or the M7 ford if needed), until we reach the Bois de Blob. These standing orders apply Standing Orders -- WHILE MOVING -Turn and move directly away from enemy if 3+ enemy chits are spotted. Once contact is broken, move around the enemy and then continue to destination -If 1-2 enemy chits are spotted, launch a Cavalry Charge -Pursue retreating enemies. -Once enemies are destroyed, continue planned movements. Make sure all real maps, codebooks, diaries, and sensitive info has been sent to the rear before we set off. I put this map inside an envelope marked "Grocery List" and the put it in my pocket. 
Bacarruda fucked around with this message at 07:25 on Mar 31, 2017 |
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Mar 31, 2017 04:31
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Loel posted:.... can we give you fake maps? At least Major Martin was dead before they stuffed him with fake intel... I mean, I guess we could. What info did you want to give them?
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Mar 31, 2017 04:40
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Trin Tragula posted:My instinct is that it *should* function like a barricade (which would then allow in 1915 for the construction of historically accurate German-style weaponised hahas), and then I go and see that I didn't write that into the erections post, so now I feel bad. If we can get Bloody Stupid Johnson on our side, we can start to make weaponized ho-hos. And I'll have so see if we can turn that trench into a trout pond...
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Apr 3, 2017 17:25
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my dad posted:Where'd ya disappear to, Bac? Not having a division doesn't mean not having anything to contribute to discussions of our plans. I've been reading along. Haven't had much to say. A few thoughts: -Those 10cm guns are ripe for counterbattery fire. We should spend some time hammering them before they can get dug in. -We have a gap in our northern flank, considering that the Germans have been shelling my dad's brigade, that suggest they are going to try a northern breakout. We should be prepared to hit any such assault with artillery. We may also want to move those northern guns. -I'm thinking of heading to Le Dand to cut some more wires. Trying to figure out how to do it without being spotted.
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Apr 4, 2017 04:02
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Loel posted:Our map in chat has you going along the north bridge, but that's not set in stone That doesn't fit with their current fireplan at all. North does it fit with the current location of their arty. They're clearing focusing on the north. And our northern arty is vulnerable on its northern flank.
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Apr 4, 2017 04:12
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Slim Jim Pickens posted:I agree with this general sentiment. This is all good stuff and I agree with much of it We need a clear plan to deal with the high northern offensive the Germans are currently telegraphing. Artillery will be a big part of this. We need a clear fire plan that will 1) destroy the German gunline, 2) pound the German's suspected rallying positions in the Effyaders forest, 3) engage any definite targets spotted by the 24th, etc. But we also need to figure out what we're going to be doing with the infantry. If the 24th gets broken, we're hosed in a major way. The Germans can turn our northern flank and get into half our artillery. If the Belgians are still an option, that'll help, but it could be too little to prevent a division+ breakout in our north. Here are some options for discussion: 1) Have the centre brigades counterattack any German assault on the 24th. 2) Wait for the artillery to slacken, then move the 24th to the northern edge of their trench and have the other brigades, move to fill in its old space 3) Leave all units in place, shuffle the 8th Division's Artillery to a safe spot (i.e. out of rifle range in Effayders) further south so that they can enfilade fire on on any Germans exiting Effyaders.
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Apr 4, 2017 08:40
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my dad posted:I'd personally prefer keeping the guns in place for 3-4 turns, just to cover the infantry while they perform the switcheroo, and only then move them back. Agreed. And if no targets are spotted, they can be hammering Effyaders to hit suspected German staging areas (I'd imagine they are 13-14" away from our lines in the forest).
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Apr 4, 2017 09:06
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Loel posted:
I leave y'all alone for a few hours and when I come back you're sending men into bloody Germany...
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Apr 5, 2017 05:43
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my dad posted:Moving west does not magically make our guys stronger. Keep the entrenched brigade supported by artillery where it is now. This. We need to hold the line and stand fast.
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Apr 7, 2017 04:01
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my dad posted:Trin, is Bacarruda's chit still alive? Should be.
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Apr 8, 2017 08:39
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