Battleday June 19, 2004
“Street Fight” - Allies vs.Axis
Sherman Jumbo King Tiger #124
Sherman 76mm King Tiger #300 - Marty
Super Pershing Tiger I #F02 - Eric
The full sun of mid summer beat down upon the regrouped German armored unit. The hot turret roofs making an excellent surface for heating water for coffee while the troops played cards. A crackle from the radio inside the turret meant new orders were coming down. The German tank commander signed off and thrust through the open hatch leaping onto the turret roof. Kicking over the pot of coffee and scattering the half played deck of cards, the commander ordered the battalion to assemble and advance for the burnt out bunkers at the edge of the city.
Recon reports indicated the Allies were entrenched 50km outside the city using burned out bunkers as cover they had captured two weeks earlier in a heavy firefight with German artillery. The German forces were ordered to overtake the American position and press to the outskirts of the city securing the main roads by weeks end. With the Tigers fired up the battalion began its rapid advance, blitzkrieg, across the stepped plains.
The Tigers began firing at the bunker installations from 2000m cracking and dislodging huge pieces of rebar reinforced concrete. The sudden aggressive offensive must have demoralized the Allies as the whole entrenched armor unit began a full retreat from the bunkers to heading deeper within the city. The Tigers pursued at lightning speed through the steppes cutting down enemy infantry positions along the way. An urban conflict was not the preferred method but the Allies appeared to be in retreat. Once inside the city, the Shermans and Super Pershing split up and took defensive positions in the urban setting.
The Tigers pursued into the urban area hunting the enemy through the narrow streets. Almost immediately King Tiger 124 was sapped by the Sherman 76mm from an alley way 100 meters away, planting a solid hit on the turret side penetrating, while confronting head on with the Super Pershing parked in the square some 500 meters distant. The Super Pershing fired two rounds one taking a huge gouge out of the frontal armor plate of King Tiger 124 and a second round striking the mantlet ricocheting into the top armor just behind the diver hatch. King Tiger 124 halted and returned fire on the Super Pershing partially penetrating the heavily armored front plate and a second projectile tearing off the front idler wheel and track.
The Sherman 76mm closed down the alley toward King Tiger 124 firing another round into the turret penetrating the rear igniting the whole fighting compartment KO’ing the vehicle. Coming from behind some 300 meters, King Tiger 300 planted a hit to the Sherman 76mm rear halting it and bursting the rear engine compartment in flames. The crew was seen fleeing the burning tank.
Tiger F02 spotted a heavily armored Sherman 76mm at 400 meters parked between building and fired hitting the corner of the building causing a landslide of rubble on the left side of the Sherman Jumbo partially wedging it in the alley. The Jumbo returned fire hitting squarely on the mantlet partially penetrating. Tiger F02 fired two rounds one disabling the front left drive and a second penetrating the turret low near the hull. The Jumbo returned fire with one hit glancing off the mantlet and a second impact partially disabling the left front drive. Tiger F02 maneuvered with its good drive pivoting while maintaining a bead on the Jumbo. The Jumbo attempted to free itself from the rubble and only succeeded in locking up its left track.
Tiger F02 fires again glancing off the up-armored Sherman Jumbo front plate. The Jumbo returns fire penetrating the lower front plate permanently damaging the right front drive, becoming immobile. The Jumbo continues to struggle to break free of the rubble only to swing its rear into the wall of the building next door causing more rubble to fall permanently wedging the Jumbo between the buildings. Tiger F02 fires at the Jumbo penetrating the front mantlet KO’ing the tank. Tiger F02, now immobile and heavily damaged radios King Tiger 300, who reports giving chase to the Super Pershing, which has changed position from the parked position in the square.
King Tiger 300 receives a surprise hit to the flank from the Super Pershing blowing off the side skirt armor and mangling two sets of steel road wheels. King Tiger 300 moves to bear and the creeping damaged Super Pershing belts another hit to the front sprocket sending shrapnel and pieces of track flying. King Tiger 300 fires a glancing off the Super Pershing gun barrel, planting squarely in the armpit where the turret meets the hull. It became apparent that the Super Pershings turret was a bit skewed and could not be rotated. The Super Pershing attempted to fire but the bent barrel caused the round to burst the barrel half way splaying it open, the round angled off in an unknown direction. King Tiger 300 realizes the first hit has damaged the rotating gears and pivots on its good track ramming the front end into the corner of the next building sending rubble sliding down the glacis. King Tiger 300 fires hitting the Super Pershing damaged turret blowing it off into the next street.
The Axis secured the city and blockaded the main roads some 16 hours later.
“Spearhead” – Allies vs. Axis - Command Vehicle
Pershing #40 – Command vehicle - Eric King Tiger #300 – Command vehicle - Marty
Sherman 76mm Sherman Jumbo (captured)
Super Pershing King Tiger #124
It was time to put a bruising on the German army to dispel the idea of their seeming invincible AFV’s. This tank commander, for one, never believed the inflated propaganda coming from the front lines. Having a new company of 90mm Pershings does dispel many myths now doesn’t it?
After some light work of machine gun nests and mortar entrenchments, the American armored unit commanded by Pershing 40 moved at a steady pace keeping the two Panzer divisions in steady retreat toward Germany. Aerial recon reports indicated the Axis digging in some 100km from the American position near a bombed out steel factory.
Pershing 40 pressed the armor division consisting of Pershings, Sherman 76mm’s and even a Super Pershing, up-armored from a Panther victim. The company was in good spirits and gained territory through the night only stopping twice to refuel and negotiate a dried up stream crossing. As daybreak shown, the American tank commander sent a recon team out and viewed the landscape with binoculars to ascertain the next move. After a quick breakfast of jerky, reconstituted apples and hot coffee a disturbing crackle came over the command radio. The scout team apparently met some light resistance and warned of advancing enemy armor, a full battalion no less.
This was a common Axis tactic to pull back, regroup and attack, so the Allies were ready. Pershing 40 directed a spearhead formation to break through the German counter-offensive and split their forces in two. Pershing 40 reported American Shermans on the flank side some 2000 meters distant. The tank commander was not aware of any Allied armor support in the area and surmised the Shermans captured under Axis control. This was soon verified as the small company of Shermans initiated a flanking approach firing first. The tank commander in Pershing 40 and a company of Sherman 76mm’s broke off to engage the rouge Shermans and directed the spearhead of Pershings and Shermans to continue toward the advancing Axis armor.
Laying on the rouge Shermans, the American Pershing 40 and Sherman 76mm’s moved to engage returning fire. Pershing 40 busted up a couple of rouge Shermans from 1800 meters with its 90mm sending the turrets flying up in the air. The tank commander spotted a fast moving Sherman and chose to engage it with the cover of a Sherman 76mm at its side 100 meters away. It became apparent at 1000 meters this rouge Sherman was no ordinary Sherman as the 90mm rounds did not punch through like the others at 2000 meters. As the rouge Sherman and Pershing 40 closed, the rouge Sherman ducked in some sparse trees for cover. Pershing 40 and the Sherman 76mm repositioned to meet the rouge Sherman as it emerged from cover, as they also took partial cover along a low hill. As expected the rouge Sherman bolted from the sparse cover and fired upon Pershing 40 striking the upper hull ripping off the stowage boxes and front fender skirts. Pershing 40 and the Sherman 76mm returned fire smacking the front glacis and lower hull damaging the return rollers.
The hit from the 90mm on the glacis should have penetrated at 800 meters thought the tank commander. From the periscope he tried to glean any information on the rouge Sherman, but the firefight was too chaotic. It occurred that there were a few up-armored “Jumbo” Shermans that may be in German possession. With this presumption the tank commander directed firing at known vulnerable areas of the Sherman. The rouge Jumbo fired penetrating the supporting Sherman 76mm turret. The Sherman 76mm became immobile and a crewmember was seen scrambling out. Pershing 40 maneuvered out from the low hill and planted a shot just short of the rouge Jumbo. As luck would have it the Jumbo fell right into the hole left by the 90mm round and became stuck. With this opportunity, Pershing 40 maneuvered to the side and planted two shots at 750 meters. One hit the turret penetrating the side and another hit tore the top of the turret roof off. The KO’d Jumbo began to smoke heavily.
This small victory was short lived as two rouge Shermans had moved within 900 meters and fired on Pershing 40 hitting the left final drive locking it up and the turret rear ripping a gaping hole in the side. Pershing 40 returned fire on one of the Shermans as a small fire broke out from the engine. The crew was ordered to abandon as another round hit the engine area resulting in a large explosion.
Reports later revealed the Super Pershing single handedly took on two King Tigers. In a fierce firefight with King Tiger 124 and 300 (command tank) the Super Pershing with its heavy armor proved itself as its 100mm punched three rounds into King Tiger 124 totally destroying it with even one hit penetrating the front armor. Lightly damaged from this firefight the Super Pershing engaged Tiger 300 at close range (50 meters) exchanging one deadly shot for another until King Tiger 300 was KO’d with its turret blown off. The Super Pershing was severely crippled with collapsed suspension, the right side roadwheels, track completely blown off, and two penetrations in the front armor and one in the mantlet.
The American spearhead forced another German retreat but not without sustaining significant losses. Inspection of the steel factory revealed manufacture of some new German prototype weapons. Thankfully they will not be realized and brought to bear.
“King of the Gully” - King of the Hill
King Tiger #124
King Tiger #300 - Marty
Tiger I #F02 - Eric
Super Pershing
Sherman Jumbo
Immediately King Tiger 124 and the Super Pershing engaged each other exchanging several shots. Next they moved to engage others. The Sherman Jumbo and King Tiger 300 approached each other and began exchange of fire. Several shots and maneuvers were realized as they fended off each other awaiting the approach of other tanks.
Tiger F02 moved toward the battle already in progress between King Tiger 300 and the Sherman Jumbo but Tiger F02 became immobile due to dual tracking problems so the fight between King Tiger 124 and the Super Pershing was brought to it. The ensuing firefight left Tiger F02 pinned between King Tiger 124 and the Super Pershing. Tiger F02 was soon dispatched and King Tiger 124 and the Super Pershing again engaged each other.
King Tiger 124 having been heavily damaged by Tiger F02 was finished quickly by the Super Pershing. The Super Pershing began its approach toward the Sherman Jumbo and King Tiger 300. The battle had left King Tiger 300 nearly immobile when the Super Pershing began laying fire on the Sherman Jumbo. The Pershing and jumbo exchanged fire until the Sherman Jumbo got the KO shot and returned to King Tiger 300.
King Tiger 300 desperate for a hit with little mobility exchanged shots one for one with the Sherman Jumbo until it KO’d the Sherman. A howl of joy resounded through the field as King Tiger 300 emerged victorious!
