Panzer Commander Quest #2

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You are Richter von Tracht, acting commander of 2nd Platoon in your final training exercise in the Armor Academy of the Archduke of Strossvald.

While your platoon of five dwindled to four as a result of disobedient subordinants, your platoon had still managed to “knock out” an “enemy” platoon that had taken a commanding position on the hill you now occupy. The former enemies smoldered at you from the top of the hill, where exervise coordinators were busy erecting flags to mark knocked out vehicles.
After establishing a perimeter with half of your force to ensure that you are not outflanked, you take a look around from your position.

To the south is the rest of the company. 1st Platoon appears to have sprouted a new tank; presumably your less confident second in command who had retreated to there. 3rd Platoon has lost two of its tanks, reducing its numbers to three. 4th Platoon’s casualties, meanwhile, are absolute. With some more observation you spot the movement of tanks marked as the enemy moving through the forests nearby.

Your excitable subordinate Von Reitberg, one of your tank commanders, spots armor about a kilometer to the east of the village of Ogel. More concerning is the fact that you cannot spot the remaining enemy tank platoon; you would presume that they are in the woods to the south, but you cannot be certain.

>Plan actions

>The Objective is to take and hold the bridge. This exercise is more for show than anything official, so cutting losses and doing the best for yourself may help your prestige among the nobility

>reminder of the capabilities of your armor: your tanks are Pz.m/28s, armed with 25mm cannons; with an effective range of 1 kilometer but only able to penetrate the frontal armor of equivalent tanks at a range of 500 meters. Penetrating the sides or rear is possible from further out.

>If you need/want more information do not hesitate to ask

>>478044
So I don't think they are going to attack us, since they have better access to the bridge and, I assume, control of the bridge. Lets split up our armor exactly 50/50, and charge from the front and back. They will of course see this and probably split their armor up 50/50 too.

Whats the scale of the map? How far is one square?

>>478273

Check the left side of the map

>>478273
1 kilometer. It's listed on the map.

Elevation incline rate is missing (because I didn't know that was something to be listed to be honest; cartography babby level mistake) but it's something I'll put in future scenario maps.

>>478044
Head to a3 then a6 and try to smash into the enemies rear in c6

>>478044

First of all we should let the other platoons know they have the enemy moving on their right flank. We can recommend that third platoon turns to engage them while first breaks out of the woods and flanks the enemy, preferably to the south.

We should wait for that engagement to be completed, then we can coordinate with the other platoons to attack the remaining enemy positions.

>>478044
Radio the 1st and 3rd Platoons about the enemy's positions. They probably won't listen though since our company's C3 is horrible.

Then move downhill aiming to stealthily approach the enemy in C6 under the cover of the buildings and hit them in the flank.

You conclude that the best option in any case would be to contact the rest of the company and inform them of their situation. If they could counter the enemy’s flanking attack, there was still hope for victory. You had each pounced upon one another’s flank, but one flank was below, while you were above. The enemy likely having little idea exactly where you were coming from, you felt confident you could make a successful assault on the 1st company platoon that shared your side of the river, despite your weakened numbers.

You briefly consider the possibility of a daring pincer attack upon the formation visible on your side of the river, but it would be a foolhardy move should one group become uncoordinated with the other; a strong possibility considering the makeup of your platoon. Were your numbers greater it would be quite a valid plan, alas even without splitting your numbers you had fewer tanks than the intact platoons of your enemy. Such risks could be taken when there was no other option left. For now, simplicity was best, you decided.

“Lieutenant,” you hear Stein, your gunner, call to you from the tank. “Hans says the radio’s cleared up. The company’s back in control.”

“Von Frenze is back on the line?” you ask.

Stein relays your information into the tank, then pops back out. “Nah!” he shouts back, “Some joker named Von Cassel says he’s taken over. Von Frenze gave him command, he says.”

Von Cassel, your insubordinate second in command who chose to split from your formation rather than accompany you over uncertain terrain. Few would gain a promotion from disobedience, but it appears that Von Cassel either struck lucky or that Von Frenze was that desperate. Neither one pleased you, but at the very least there was a measure of organization now. Von Cassel was much more competent than Von Frenze, but you still felt bitter over his lack of faith in your plans, which had turned out spectacularly so far.

You clamber back into your armored casemate and tap into the company net.

>”Cassel, what is the meaning of this!?”

>”This is Von Tracht. Is Von Cassel now acting commander?”

>”I can see you down there, Cassel. How can you command when I stand so far above you?”

>Refuse Cassel’s appointment and demand to speak to Von Frenze

>other (write in)

>>479162
>”This is Von Tracht. Is Von Cassel now acting commander?”

Be Professional

>>479246
Also, this way he'll learn how right we were from us personally.

>>479162
>”I can see you down there, Cassel. How can you command when I stand so far above you?”

>>479162
>>”This is Von Tracht. Is Von Cassel now acting commander?”

Right now what we need most is a unified company command that we can coordinate with to win this battle. If sucking up to Cassel and accepting his command is the best way to get him to listen to us we should do it.

>>479162
>>”This is Von Tracht. Is Von Cassel now acting commander?”

As much as you would have loved to make some form of clever comment, such bantering could wait. “This is Von Tracht,” you say into the company net, “we are atop the hill to the west of the town. Is Von Cassel now acting commander?”

There was a brief silence on the radio net. “Lieutenant?” you hear Cassel ask in disbelief. Cassel however, while an arrogant rat, was not the sort who was ever completely taken aback. “What do you see from there? What are your numbers?”

You start with the numbers, putting special emphasis on how you have four, but have taken no casualties. You weren’t about to let Cassel get away completely scot free. “All the 1st Company armor across the river is out of effective range of their guns, as long as you stay away from the bridge. You have two platoons driving into your flank. They’ve taken out 4th company and are trying to outflank you.”

“I see,” Von Cassel replied. “What is on the other side of the river?”

“One platoon. We have destroyed the platoon that was occupying the hill we are on.”

“Right,” Von Cassel wasted no time, “Then go and dispatch the other, as soon as possible. Contact me again when you have destroyed them.”

You try to recommend a course of action to Cassel, but he has assumed his new position fully. “I am quite able to handle my side of the field, Von Tracht, concern yourself with yours.”

You acknowledge this command and have Hans, your radio operator, patch you back into the Platoon network. With a swift command, you have the platoon begin moving down the hill, using the cover of the opposing hill and the town to try and avoid sight from the enemy,
As you look back at your enemy’s last known position, however, you cannot see them anymore.

>Hold back and direct the platoon from afar to the unknown enemy

>Hold back until you can find the enemy again

>Maneuver to an ambush point and wait for them in a place you think they are going; specify place

>Maneuver to assault the enemy platoon directly, specify route and place you think enemy are

The rules of the exercise do not dictate that you must remain in your vehicle, you remember

>Hold back and direct the platoon from afar to the unknown enemy.

But before that I want to be sure that we have a portable radio to communicate with our platoon

>>482782
>Leave our tank and direct the platoon from afar.
>Until the enemy is sighted assume they're going to the western bridge and direct our platoon to hit them from the north through Ogel.

>>482885
Supporting

After little contemplation, you deem the sight from the hill to be too valuable to simply abandon. Were it that you could direct your force from up here, alas the only means of direct communication you have are in your armored vehicles, and any operation would loathe to have its strength cut by a quarter if you were to stay behind.

There must be an easier solution, you think, when you suddenly hear protestations from the direction of the clump of knocked out vehicles.

“Get away from my tank, you scoundrel!”

You turn to see that your Radio Operator, Hans, has extricated himself from your vehicle and is rummaging around in one of the platoon’s conquests through the hatch. It wasn’t technically against the rules to loot the “enemy,” just to commandeer armor that was intended to be interpreted as unusable, but it was rather frowned upon.

“What are you doing, Hans?” you ask your bandit technician, “You’re upsetting people you shouldn’t be on the bad side of.”

“I’m not popular anyways,” Hans said haughtily. “I’m sorry if your social life suffers for it, but there’s something we, urgh, really need in here somewhere…” Hans briefly disappeared inside of the tank, and came out with handfuls of books and papers. “There. Proper map, might be able to get some from the others, and a quick peek at the radio to see what channels they were using.”

A solution appears to have manifested itself.

>Only take the maps and avoid intercepting broadcasts, as communications interference is not something specifically outlined in the rules of the exercise
>There’s no rules against it, make use of a disabled tank’s radio, and tap into enemy communications while commanding from topside
>Make Hans put the equipment back to avoid turning potential allies into rivals

The matter of what to do for command also is important.

>Put one of your commanders in charge, the one most likely to bend to your will would be Hertzel
>Put your Gunner in command of the platoon
>Leave the Radio Operator on top of the hill and take command yourself instead

>>495532
Ooh, ooh, this is getting more interesting by the post!

>Officially confirm with the excersize observers that the disabled tank's radio is considered usable.

>There’s no rules against it, make use of a disabled tank’s radio, and tap into enemy communications while commanding from topside

>Leave the Radio Operator on top of the hill and take command yourself instead

My logic is that Hans only has to call out enemy's position and listen in to their communications, while our commanding skill will be more valuable in the thick of the battle.

>>497032
Seconding

You’re relatively certain that you’re allowed to, considering that the coordinators watching you haven’t stepped in to prevent your crewman’s impromptu pillaging, but you aren’t about to let there be any uncertainty over the legitimacy of your actions.

“Excuse me,” you call to a slightly uncertain pair of exercise organizers. As they approach, you question them on the legality of your planned actions.
“Well, er,” one of them thinks for a second before answering, “Normally, it depends on what the coordinators decide, and this this time we were going to say it was all gone,” the blue grey-uniformed man scratches his head beneath his woolen cap, “but we got a call from above saying to leave them open. Somebody high up said to call them salvageable.”

“Somebody high up?” you echo.

“Yes milord…one of the guests, you see…”

You thank him and wave them away. The story of your unseen benefactor could wait until your victory parade. “Hans!” your Radio Operator looks up and stands, “Stay up here and monitor the enemy’s communications. We’ll search all the tanks for proper maps, then I’ll take the platoon over to those 1st Company dogs down the hill and knock their heads about. Understood?”

“Yes Lieutenant,” Hans replied, not following the coordinators’ more formal addressing. “Consider me your watchful angel from the Judge.”

After some quick negotiations, you burglarize a radio operator from another member of your platoon. Reitberg’s neurotic, visibly irritated radio operator took Hans’s normal seat, his attitude shifting significantly for the better as you directed him. Von Reitberg must not have been one for explicit commands.

Your platoon forms a wedge, and dives down the hill as fast as possible, to the valley between hills, away from prying eyes. As you reach the floor of the valley, your replacement RO nervously prods you.

“Commander,” he says, “Your other man is saying he’s heard something new. The people we’re going to attack…he says they’re heading for the bridge.”

You acknowledge him. “Any new from the rest of our company?”

“Er…” he shuffles in his seat and twists some controls, “Not really, it sounds like.”

You begin to wish for your spunkier operator again, but this one will do. In any case, the news that the enemy platoon was moving down towards the bridge was surprising. The remnants of your company couldn’t be giving 1st Company that much trouble to need reinforcement on such notice, over such a bottlenecked area. Von Cassel had no important updates for you, perhaps things were really looking up.

Your current position is roughly in the upper section of the grid corresponding to B4

>Attempt to intercept the enemy platoon’s movement as they move down, specify location

>Attempt to reach the bridge first and ambush them there

>Wait for the enemy to go to the bridge and then strike

>Any additional or alternative actions

>>497670
>Wait for the enemy to go to the bridge and then strike

They'll show us their rear armor this way.

>>497670

I'm a bit wary; by now they should know their platoon has been knocked out, so I'm not sure why they would move to the bridge and seemingly expose their rear to us.

I'd say we should assault their former position from the rear and take the hilltop, and then evaluate the situation from there.

>>500031
This is a good point. Let's go to B6 and survey the terrain from the commanding height.