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Post by hellmutt on Jan 19, 2009 22:07:35 GMT -5
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deacon
Private 1st Class
Posts: 748
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Post by deacon on Jan 19, 2009 23:47:15 GMT -5
damn, they look great.
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Post by 2ndranger on Jan 19, 2009 23:59:47 GMT -5
Very outstanding job! You guys never cease to amaze! If I werent so poor Id fly out to a game! Great job!
Franz
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Post by hellmutt on Jan 20, 2009 0:19:54 GMT -5
It was a great event. Most people were from Washington but we had three from Oregon show up, one person from St. Louis and 6 guys from the midwest (WI and MI). We had 2 Germans who rented all their gear and about 5 Americans. The only non-period guns we had were M14! That has never happened before. We had 50 with the advantage to the Americans. It was a about a 2 to 3 ration of German to US.
It was a continous op from Friday night until Sunday afternoon. It was cold but an amazing time!
Our next WWII op will be Memorial Day weekend. Jump to Destiny. Plenty of time to get some kit together. We can help you agument your kit if you need some extra stuff or you can rent the whole thing from us. It's a good time and the people are awesome. Lots of young guys and lots of old farts too! Lot of commradare and spirit de corps!
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Post by Garrick Udet on Jan 20, 2009 0:32:17 GMT -5
Hellmutt, Great pics man! There's more than enough for a Garrick Udet Western Front greatest pics album! One small correction... there were only 4 of us from MN and WI. But I can see from your perspective why it may have seemed like 6 Much Kudos to The Battlesim organizers and all those who attended! This was truly an amazing event. To all the Amis: You guys were great to fight against and I'd gladly meet you in battle again anytime! AAR will be forthcoming, I'll try to work in the pics where I can since my camera battery was DOA. -Garrick
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click
Sergeant
Company G, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st Marine Division
Posts: 1,764
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Post by click on Jan 20, 2009 2:27:20 GMT -5
Great photos! On day, I would love to make it up for one of your events...
Click
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mccallion
Private 1st Class
Official Road Sign Reader (retired)
Posts: 770
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Post by mccallion on Jan 20, 2009 14:27:35 GMT -5
wow looks like an awsome event!
mccallion
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Post by canuckjoe69 on Jan 20, 2009 16:48:49 GMT -5
I'm too cool
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Post by CPL. Mills 2nd Rangers on Jan 20, 2009 17:39:30 GMT -5
:owow
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Ersatzjack
Corporal
"That silly Franz... he thinks we are winning."
Posts: 1,093
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Post by Ersatzjack on Jan 20, 2009 19:00:11 GMT -5
Battlesim put on a fine event. At first, I’ll admit my intention was to attend one event out there and use that opportunity for face time and networking and then never return. It was an expensive trip and while I figured it would be fun I still thought regular outings with Battlesim were cost prohibitive. But I polled the members on our return trip and we all agree that a return trip to Washington State at some point would be worth it.
Our welcome on Friday night was very warm and sincere and we were treated nicely the whole weekend. The camps were set up at different ends of the play area and worked nicely to keep the teams separated but socializing was allowed on Friday night. The folks we met were almost to a man friendly and good sports and their group seems really healthy. They do some things that we are going to steal from them. For instance, the German team emphasizes German commands and training. Even if pure airsoft tactics would work better, they like to try the real thing. I think they believe that it is better to do it the way it would have been done and lose than to always try to win but look bad doing it. That is an exaggeration by the way. They certainly want to do well, but they also want to look good. It is a balancing act. On Saturday morning early after the first cold damp night in camp, we were roused for breakfast and then training. TRAININGGGG SIRRR!!
The German side had three very capable commanders. There was Oberfeldwebel Vorn (Josh Warren) and he had under him Feldwebel Heidrich (Greg Hamilton) and SS Unterscharfuhrer DJ Warfield (Thanks Stewie for the names). The Luftwaffe leaders were quasi-officer in nature and the Unterscharfuher was the kick-butt NCO who ran the Zug [platoon]. It was an effective mix and I enjoyed the discipline and immersive surroundings. No one minded really. We became accustomed to German commands and orders that morning and were run through several drills on German tactics. It tired me out a bit but I knew I’d be trying to replicate some of this training later this year. I enjoyed it. So did the rest of the 3rd Panzer Grenadiers. The German side had three squads. There was the Heer squad or Gruppe and we were five strong. The SS I believe was 5 strong and then about 10-FJs. On the FJ side of the house one player was the German cook and boy did he do a good job. He fed all 20+ of us with his helpers, kept a smile on his face and played every battle. He was a busy guy. After lunch we kicked off the event. Saturday fighting lasted till dusk. The organizers ran a rather tightly controlled scripted event I felt. Of course I didn’t see what commands were being passed by radio, but felt that the German and American teams were being moved like chess pieces and once objectives fell then the leaders would reassert control and move to another scenario. There wasn’t that feeling that one could win or lose but just work through a scenario. That was okay for me but different from what I was used to. The wound card rules were fine. We all liked them. They do not call “hit” however. That took some time to get used to. Battlesim wants theatrical deaths. When hit you act out the hit. So I was finding myself yelling, “hit” and then I acted out the death. I got the hang of it later on. It took two hits to kill you and of course your wound card could do you in as well. I like the bodies falling and yelling. That will be copied too if I can persuade our guys and gals. Battlesim also used blank-fire weapons sprinkled in to add to the game. I’m not a big fan but others really like it so I guess if that was something you liked then it added to the event. At any rate, at least D-boy’s armed folks had a blank-fire alternative. People were taking hits from blankfire shots and I’d venture to say that blank-fire weapons killed many more Americans than D-boy Kar-98s.
My favorite battle was the night attack. The Americans defended hill 513. This is the most defensible piece of property on the map. 513 was a huge foxhole at the crest of tall ground with open avenues of fire. But the Moon was new and there were two German Shepard’s that barked loudly during the lead up to the attack so that was in the German favor. We used the entire platoon and the Americans had a smaller force in the OP while the rest awaited a counter-attack order. Our leaders sent the Heer squad into thick blackberry bush country and we made very slow painful progress toward the objective. Seeing this the Feldwebel changed strategy for the other two squads and took them on an easier route. The result was that the Heer had just negotiated the terrible terrain and were about 80-yards from the precipice when two orange flares and blank-fire erupted in the night air. We held back a bit to see the action as we had tall grass concealment but the assault by the German forces won the day although at the loss of many Germans including the leader. So we advanced to the OP and some got into the bunker. I was about to swing into it when a stream of fluorescent bbs flew inches over my head. That was very cool. Tracer fire. Mixed in with the smell of gunpowder, the confusion of a night attack, the fog, and the cold mist and the orange glow and most of us were feeling the immersion. The American counterattack sweep us back but we did accomplish our objective and we never were meant to hold the terrain as we had stripped off most of our gear to achieve surprise.
Back in camp, we had a funeral service for Alban whom event organizers felt had given a good account of himself during the daylight Saturday fighting and that was fun too. A mock graveyard, a speech from the Oberfeldwebel and then a Eulogy given by Garrick our gruppenfuhrer. Alban lay still under the German flag draped over his body while a three-gun salute was rendered three times. After the funeral, Garrick was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd class ribbon for his leadership of the Heer troops and he beamed with pride the remainder of the weekend. I would have too.
Sunday night included explosive devices going off throughout the evening. No point in us getting any rest. The complaints were weak and it added.
Sunday morning fatigue was increasing after another cold damp evening. But spirits remained high. Oatmeal and bacon was served and then we fought till noon. This was wooded fighting and the horrible blackberry thorn bushes were only slightly less intrusive. But that was the terrain and there was nothing that could be done about it. The Germans were surrounded and had to fight their way out and only the SS squad managed that. Heer and FJ elements were decimated in the fighting and then survivors surrendered. We all had moments of glory and otherwise. Alban had a visibly good outing with more than a few long distance kills observed by many. “Ping,” sounds reverberated off the helmets of several Ami’s. This was after Alban in his usual humble and mannered way bragged to the Americans on Friday night that he was a Sniper, and they would face his wrath. But he backed up his words. I had a few good kills with my rifle and got one with my pistol too. But in the end, gun problems reduced German firepower and the dominance of the American weapons sealed the German fate.
Both sides had vehicles and the German side had a dispatch rider who played along beautifully and added to the event.
By 1300hrs we were finished and heading out after helping briefly with some tent takedown. The 3rd Panzer Grenadiers and Sir V headed for Tacoma and Wolfgang’s Aunt and Uncle’s home. Did I say home? Try, six-story penthouse suite on the waterfront of the Tacoma harbor with Mount Rainier in the background and every luxury imaginable. A gourmet dinner, warm beds before the flight home on Monday, wine, cigars, coffee, cake and one of those surround you 360-degree shower stalls that resembles sex. The contrast was amazing, from fire pit to dining room and tent to mansion. I liked this part of the trip too even though there was no airsoft. So… overall, I give this trip a nine out of ten. Sorry, it could have gotten a ten but without Soviet targets something was missing and while the Americans posed a threat they were not sneaky conniving Soviets.
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Post by Rekkon on Jan 20, 2009 19:25:59 GMT -5
<Massive AAR> Otto and I were roused late Saturday because we were away from the main camp… uh, guarding the motor pool. We scrambled to gear up and fall in for the pre-battle training and drills. The officers went through basic German commands, formations and some basic battle tactics. I found it all pretty interesting. Previously I never really had much motivation to work on German commands since the 3rd Panzergrenadiers did not use them. I think our experiences at Long Winter will change that. As we had final prep for the actual fight, our squad leader, Garrick, comes back from an NCO meeting and informs me that there will be mines to clear, so I had better take an entrenching tool and something with which to probe. Otto lent me his bayonet, and I got Udo’s entrenching tool from Alban that he had been sent to the event with Garrick. With Heer Gruppe in the lead, the entire German team moved out to the first bend in the road. We set up the assembly area and deployed, noting the first mine marker beside the road. Heer Gruppe took the left flank, moving uphill through difficult terrain. It was not long before contact with the Amis was made. I do not think we hit very stiff resistance, but the terrain restricted our movement routes and an overabundance of nature’s barbed wire slowed us way down. The Americans had no trouble stopping us, and we took a few casualties. We tried a route closer to the other gruppes nearer the road, and I think Garrick got to hose several GIs in a bunker before he was hit himself. In short order I was the only member of my squad still alive. The CO motioned me forward to join with the Fallshirmjagers, then sent me back to the first mine post to clear it. I could see the signs of disturbed earth, so I got on my belly near one and carefully probed near it with my (Otto’s) bayonet. Once I found an edge, I cleared around it by hand. I had only been told that there were mines, not what said mines entailed. For all I knew, they were actually rigged with BBs or a pyro charge. The top debris was delicately removed, and I saw that the ‘mine’ was an overturned plastic dish of some kind. A nut was secured in the center, and for all I knew, it connected to some kind of trigger. I had to dig down several inches to get to the base of the mine, which I cautiously pried up with the entrenching tool. Nothing. A simple prop then. A second mine was nearby, and I cleared that one in similar fashion, just a little faster. Gathering my tools, I headed back up the road to rejoin the main force only to realize I had been an idiot and forgotten my MP40 back by the mines. I retrieved it, but as I continued, there was activity in the brush above me. I saw a figure and had pretty much the same moment as that young SS kid in Band of Brothers when he looked up to see Winters on the ridge. Given my position, I had assumed it was a friendly, but his posture was not non-threatening and… the helmet was the wrong shape. applesauce ! Caught flat footed, alone and trying to hold three things with two hands, I just bolted. More brush and the bend of the road almost instantly blocked LOS and I escaped without further incident. I linked up and reported the Amis to our rear. There was another batch of mines I wanted to clear, but the ranking officer wanted us to push up and clear the next bunker. We struggled through more thorn bushes, and accomplished little save a few Allied casualties and more on our side. Those around me on the front were hit, and after a bit, so was I. My wound card let me shoot, but it was unlikely the Allies would be attacking us there and no friendly medic was in sight, so after a bit, I went back with another ‘dead’ soldat to respawn. I moved back toward the front with several komeraden, hiking up the hill. As we got into the clear, there was a (presumably German) artillery strike, after which a wave of Germans went over the top to assault an Allied position. We proceeded to the top of the hill and joined others in the bunker there. There was some discussion of enemy disposition and what to do next, but it was curtailed when we came under fire from the corner of the woods by the road. The range was quite long, so we basically traded ineffectual shots. A few soldats were dispatched to a copse of trees to broaden our base of fire on the Amis and deny them the same location. I believe Alban was one of them, and I was ordered to go up and support him soon thereafter, and I think most of the Heer Gruppe found their way there not long after. We killed or pushed back the US troops on the near corner, then advanced to the edge of the woods. The Allied camp and spawn point was not far away, so the enemy kept up the pressure. I was on the left side of the road with Garrick, our MP40s covering the thicker woods. A few from the SS Gruppe (I think) were on the right, giving us a nice crossfire down the road. I spotted an Ami emerge from the woods on the right a ways down the road. I opened fire, but the range was long and to his credit, he was quick. I believe he and I played hide and go shoot for a while across the road. I am pretty certain I killed him but was hit in return. Leg wound, hobbling only. I stayed prone where I was and killed a second GI foolish enough to emerge from the woods. He had a friend farther back though, which eventually proved my undoing. During this time Garrick, farther to my left had been exchanging furious gunfire with what sounded like a whole American platoon. I would hear the enemy moving up, coordinating, charging and putting down cover fire. There would be a hail of AEG fire, Amis would curse and die, and Garrick remained silent. I kept expecting him to get hit and leave me exposed, but it never happened. Finally a round pinged off my helmet and I slumped in place, dead. Otto came up behind me a short while later, then moved off elsewhere. Someone, presumably an Ami across the road yelled “frag out” and threw a grenade, I heard it hit and looked up to see it a few feet away. Yay, extra dead. Since we were not supposed to walk back without a buddy, I waited for someone around me to get hit. Earlier the guys across the road had gone down. Now they were replaced by Alban and Villy. I could see an American right on the other side of the woods from them but was, of course, dead and mute. It was amusing watching everyone however. Alban lobbed a stick grenade, but it bounced off a tree and landed back beside him. He called himself out, and we walked back to an assembly area. I think the whole Heer Gruppe wound up respawning about the same time. I went back to the main camp for a moment to swap some gear and because my ankle and knee were giving me problems. My timing was poor as the scenario’s fighting was almost over, and I met everyone returning as I came back to rejoin them. There was a break for some food, and the mighty German army returned to the field. Apparently American forces were pushing down the road to St. Vith and had to be stopped before they reached our CP. After the last bend in the road, the play field narrowed dramatically, and there was a large open expanse before a bit of a rise topped by a formidable bunker armed with an MG42. Initially the Heer and SS Gruppes held this position. The Allies timidly probed it a few times, but accomplished nothing. Our commander called up the reserves and we counterattacked to disrupt the Ami operation. We pushed them back a bit, but back in the heavy brush it turned into more of a meat grinder. The Germans pulled back to the bunker, letting the Allies organize for their doomed assault. Hoping to lure our foe into the open, the commandant had most of us hunker low to give the impression of fewer defenders while two riflemen put out our only defensive fire. However Otto and Alban so mercilessly sniped the enemy, that they had to be instructed to ease up a bit. Then the “fire free” order went up. I swung up the MG42 and let loose. Across the bunker the SS did the same with an MG34. Many Amis fell as our Fallschirmjager brethren rushed up from reserves. My machine gun quit feeding, but I kept popping up to pretend to man it, since it drew a lot of return fire when I did. Finally we countercharged the remaining Americans, just for the heck of it. I made it halfway down the field before taking a round in the leg. Alban cackled insanely while he shot and taunted the GIs before perishing in his signature “For the Fatherland!” charge. Then there was dinner, and after dark a mock memorial service was held for the fallen foolish one, Alban. Garrick gave a eulogy, and there was a blank rifle salute. Two survivors were awarded medals for valor, and we broke to prep for the night op. It seemed the Americans were up to no good, using the bunker atop the kill as an observation post to call down their ubiquitous artillery. Our job was to sneak up on the position and destroy it. Command initially wanted to avoid the fence as it would have trapped us against a boundary if things went fubar. Threading through the thick thorn bushes proved too noisy however, so we went along the fence anyway. Heer Gruppe fell behind trying to reign in all of its members. We finally consolidated and got moving shortly before something spooked the Amis and a flare went up into the night. All hell broke loose. We were below the ridge when it became known that the commander was down. Garrick was called up to assume command. I ended up downslope and to the right of the action. I could see heads silhouetted in the grass on the ridge, and the AEG fire from both sides seemed to be right on top of each other. German cap, German cap, helmet. Ha! That was an American helmet! I put a burst on it and it went down. I moved right a little more and discovered three Americans on the outside of the bunker, looking for additional cover from the main German attack. They were also perfectly silhouetted against their own flare. How considerate. I gunned them all down. That seemed to be the last of them, and as one we stormed into the position. There was the usual confusion of coming together after a night assault. The SS moved off right for some reason I did not know. Someone yelled that we were being flanked on the left, so I went prone facing that direction. In short order we heard the commotion of a great many Amis coming our way, but the fog hid everything. I held my fire until some dark shapes emerged from the fog but only had time for a few shots before the group commander ordered us to grab any field telephones and pull out. Sliding back into the bunker, I noticed a boxy shape against the dirt and grabbed it. We went over the edge and back down the hill. I kept expecting Allied soldiers to quickly take our abandoned position and start raining plastic down upon our retreat. It never happened, allowing a leisurely victory stroll back to base. Later I learned that the ‘great many Amis’ was about six, and that the errant SS group had all died in a counter counterattack against the bunker. I suppose we could say they sacrificed themselves to buy us time. With operations (that we knew about) concluded for the night, Otto and I returned to the… motor pool to sleep. I hear the Allies raided the German camp later in the night, but it must not have been a very good once since most of the Germans slept through it. I was up around 6 Sunday morning and trudged back to camp. After all it was the same start time as the previous day. However I found all the lazy soldaten still sound asleep. Fine, be that way. I grabbed some food but decided to check the fire pit before heading back up the hill. There were a few glowing coals left, so I put all those Survivorman episodes to good use and did my best to resuscitate our exothermic reaction with wet firewood and straw scavenged from the main tent. My efforts were a success, so I hope the late risers that enjoyed it are suitably appreciative. Sunday’s fighting began farther up the road. Alban claimed to have seen an Ami with a pistol in or near one of the bunkers, so the Heer Gruppe assaulted it only to find an empty hole. I entered to retrieve my grenade, looked up into the muzzle of a 1911 and was shot dead. General gunfire erupted. My wound only let me talk, so I tried to warn everyone else that a hostile was like 10 feet away but no one listened to Zathrus. The Oberfeldwebel move up and was similarly eliminated. We respawned and returned to find that our assassin had been eliminated and his identity was Hellmutt. I moved up to rejoin Heer Gruppe, which proceeded along a tree line with the SS. We took two unoccupied bunkers and found ourselves back in the hole at the top of the hill in a similar situation to the previous day. However Amis had been spotted at our back and our three gruppes were spread out, trying to push down the road and through the woods. We held in place to anchor the flank. We eventually had riflemen in the same copse of trees as before, while three of us held the bunker with a blank fire rifle, a Dboys Kar 98 that the bold had fallen out of and my MP40. I patrolled the top of the ridge in the hopes of spotting any Americans trying to sneak up the hill behind us. Several times I spotted a few of them in the brush. I made sure to stand in the open, maintaining a high profile and point them out. Our force was so weak, my hope was to make sure they knew they had been spotted and bluff them into considering a different path. It seemed to work; they never pressed from that direction. A daring Ami sprinted to some trees behind the copse from which Alban had been sniping, pining him down from a different direction. That situation stalemated for a while until Otto circled wide with his own high powered rifle and counterflanked. We then pushed back up to the tree line. Alban and I were there first. Allied voices and movement could be head inside, and we were sure they were preparing a charge. It never came however. I think other German elements were giving them trouble farther down the hill, and we eventually were reinforced. It was nearing the end of the event, and our objective changed. We now had to try to break out of the American encirclement by fighting out through their camp. I was on the far left of our push into the woods, hoping to flank around defenders or find a lightly defended route. As danger neared I dropped down and started crawling and ran into Alban doing the same. We moved up together as the fighting intensified. Americans came at us, and were beaten back with several casualties. Unfortunately things did not seem to be going well for us on the right, and then Alban was killed. I hunkered down, wondering if I should fall back and make a break for it. Nonsense! Alone, I waited for an American to advance into my sights. I held my fire a bit too long however. He spotted me and fell back, yelling a warning. We exchanged fire and were both hit. Wound: another leg hit. Well, there went all hope of escape. With their spotter dead, the other Americans tried to ferret me out without success. Their shots came close, and two of them got to within maybe 15 feet. I killed one, and the other was on my 9 o’clock, advancing. Unfortunately he was behind a tree. I waited, knowing I would have to whip around and try to shoot him before he spotted me. At the last second though another American yelled for the German to get away from the house (since we were near it and it was in the line of fire). The American yelled back that he was actually Allied and was trying to flank the German (me). The first Ami said something about commendable initiative, but that the other one was part of the unit and should get back to the line. I let him go; I never had a good shot anyway. About this time, the Germans were pushing the woods in force again. I held my position, hoping they would be disciplined enough not to shoot me in the rear as they came up. I asked for a medic as the Fallschirmjagers passed, but they said just to come along as this was the final push. Okay, not that it mattered much since I crawled the rest of the way forward. We were putting fire onto the edge of the American CP, but since they never stopped respawning there, it was basically impossible to take it. The FJs went far left, and two SS guys came up behind me. I ended up as far forward as I was going to get as others died around me. Most of them got eliminated, and I just waited there, determined to kill as many as I could before I went down. The Amis were within easy earshot, and I heard many orders to form a line and sweep the woods. Each time I figured my end was nigh, but one would get near, I would fire and everything would halt. I picked off another one or two before an Ami advanced behind me. I had to whirl almost 180 to fire on him, and we annihilated each other with subgun fire. Fighting was concluded shortly thereafter. ----- Many thanks to Battlesim for putting on a very enjoyable event, even if the nights and thornbushes sucked, badly. I cannot guarantee that I will come out again, but I will definitely consider it. I think the event went very smoothly, which testifies to the organizer’s work and preparation, much of which probably went unappreciated, inconspicuous by the absence of associated problems. The scenarios flowed nicely, with my only gripe being the attack on a spawn point that never ceased to function. And I suppose if I think from the Allies point of view, the impossible assault on the German bunker. I confess to being disappointed that the AT guns and tank I saw in a video of a previous Battlesim event were not there, but then the MOA has me spoiled in that regard.
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Post by Garrick Udet on Jan 20, 2009 19:26:05 GMT -5
Our unit arrived at the Feldpost on the road to St. Vith late on Friday evening after a long journey from the Eastern Front. Due to a mix up at the train station, 4 of us (Alban, Otto, Wolfgang and myself) were separated from the rest of our unit and were subsequently placed on a temporary duty assignment under Oberfeldwebel Warren. Our Zug was comprised of 3 squads, Heer, FJs and SS. After finding suitable accommodations at the Feldpost, we indulged in what little luxuries we could find and settled in for a chilly night. On Saturday morning, after a quick breakfast we quickly discovered that this new Oberfeldwebel would be holding all of us to high standards of discipline that we had long ago abandoned on the chaotic battlefronts in the east. It was during this 'refresher' on appropriate formations and tactics that I learned I would be Gruppenfurher for our squad. I was nervous about the assignment, more due to my concerns about meeting our Oberfeldwebel's expectations than any fear about leading my trusted squadmates into battle. We also were told that a straggler from another Heer unit named Willy would be assigned to our squad. After basic formation and tactical training we were treated to a quick lunch and awaited our first orders to action. We didn't have to wait long until we were told that some crafty Amis had mined the road from Germany and cut off our telephone communications with the next feldpost to the east. I was given 20 minutes to get my squad geared up to march to the first staging area. A few hiccups aside I got my squad assembled and in formation before the march order came. We had just finished setting up the staging area when we received our orders to start moving up the left flank of the road to probe for any scattered Amis who might still be in the area. I managed to get about 20 yards into the brush when all hell broke loose. Instead of disorganized and scattered elements, we ran into a number of fixed MG positions in bunkers running along the road. As I made my way through the brush, I looked down to my right and saw 5 amis crouched in a bunker waiting for an ambush. I let loose a magazine from my MP40 and dropped to the ground. I heard their anguished cries for a medic and popped my head up to see if any were still able to fight, as I did this, one Ami gravely wounded me in the head with one shot from his rifle. I screamed in pain and fell to the ground. With no medic around, I was forced to return to our staging area for medical treatment. When I returned to the fight, the FJs had cleared the first few bunkers and Wolfgang had cleared the first mines. We continued to fight to the next bend in the road and I had just been wounded in the foot when we were ordered to break off contact with the enemy and instead advance to the top of Hill 513 which had a commanding view over the road and the entire field of battle. It was a tough climb, especially with the think underbrush and my wounded foot hindering my progress. When our squad reached the top of the hill, we found the SS and FJ squads had already established an advanced staging area in the bunker and were engaging in a long range gun fight with a few Amis who were holed up in a treeline along the road. (SS and FJ occupying Hill 513) Once our squad was reloaded I charged a solitary enemy who was trying to flank to our left. I ran into him in a small clump of trees and we both shot each other at extremely close range. (Me charging the dug in American trooper) I got the lucky side of the coin in this engagement as I only received another minor wound while the American was mortally wounded. I quickly called Otto, Alban and Wolfgang to move up for support. We were quickly joined by some SS and FJ as we attempted to push the Americans back into the woods east of hill 513. (Alban, myself and an SS trooper discuss the next movement to push the Americans back) It was once we got to the edge of these woods that our advance stalled. The Americans just kept coming, this was clearly not a group of scattered troops that had been overrun by our original offensive but a motivated and well led unit that was determined to make our lives miserable. The half dozen of us that had taken up positions at the edge of the woods began to dwindle until only Wolfgang, Otto and I were left. Otto was wounded and Wolfgang and I continued to fight, based on the anguished cries of the enemy, we estimated that we eliminated at least a dozen of them before we ran out of ammunition or were hit. (Me awaiting more unsuspecting Americans to walk into the trap Wolfgang and I had waiting at the edge of the forest) We returned to the bunker on the top of the hill only to learn that our staging area had been relocated due to heavy fire from the Americans. Otto, Alban and I found the new staging area while Wolfgang went back to the feld post to refit. At the staging area, Oberfeldwebel Warren put our squad on security to cover the FJ and SS squads who were frantically reloading the last of their dwindling ammunition. With the entire Zug's ammunition supply approaching critical levels, Oberfeldwebel Warren ordered us into a tactical withdrawal down the road so we could clear the last of the American mines before returning to the feldpost to scavenge whatever ammunition we could before the inevitable American counter attack. It was during this withdrawal that Otto and Alban inexplicably started walking towards the American position with their hands up (they had already occupied the bunker on top of Hill 513). I shouted at them to follow our orders but it was no use. They shouted something back about wanting to use the American's latrine... By the time I reported to our Oberfeldwebel about these cowardly deserters, I learned that the mines had been cleared and we needed to make haste back to the Feldpost to prepare our defensive positions. Back at the Feldpost we discovered that a lone ammunition truck had made it through the lines during our engagement and we were able to resupply in short order. Wolfgang and Willy were ready to fight again, which is good since I doubted we'd ever see Otto and Alban again. Our Zug quickly occupied a bunker that was equipped with a tripod mounted MG42. Wolfgang was drawn to this gun like a moth to flame and began to sight it in for our defensive battle. (Wolfgang getting the feel for the MG) We soon heard the sounds of an approaching vehicle and saw a jeep screaming around the corner towards our position. Wolfgang fired a burst from the MG before we realized what was happening. Alban and Otto were riding on the back screaming for us to cease fire. Later I found out they had taken the jeep driver and a medic hostage, and forced them to drive back to our lines. With my whole squad reunited I felt a wave of relief wash over me. Alban and Otto had proven themselves multiple times with their deadly marksmanship and to have them back with me would make the engagement ahead a much more painful affair for the Americans. (Otto, now back with the Zug, watching for approaching Americans) We soon saw a few Amis approaching in the trees just out of range of our weapons so the decision was made to advance and engage them before they were able to organize their assault. Because our line was squeezed in between two minefields, I decided to spit my squad and assigned my best two riflemen to the FJ squad, while Wolfgang and I fell in with the SS with our MP40s. With the SS we tried to execute a rapid flanking maneuver to the right to encircle the enemy. This was an unmitigated disaster. We had scarcely moved 25 meters when most of us were cut down by fire from a bunker that had been concealed to our left. We all lay wounded on the ground for 5-10 minutes until the fire had let up enough for us to withdraw to the field hospital to get stitched up. When we returned to our defensive line, the enemy had reorganized and was about to launch their final assault. Our Oberfeldwebel had wisely ordered all of our zug to conceal ourselves behind our emplacement while Alban and Otto began to snipe the enemy from great distance. After enemy became sufficiently annoyed at the losses from our marksmen, they charged our position. They were able to advance about 10-15 meters out of the trees when the order came to open fire. The result was devastating to the enemy. Within a few minutes the bulk of their force lay dead or wounded on the field in front of us. It was at this point that I ordered Alban to flank left to try and eliminate what resistance remained with his rifle. He performed his duties with outstanding bravery and when his ammunition was running low he performed a daring charge straight at the remaining enemy. Sadly he was cut down by a rain of fire. The loss of my trusted comrade hit me hard, especially as the Americans withdrew shortly thereafter. After a good hot meal, we honored Alban's sacrifice for the Fatherland and I was surprised to be awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class for my actions leading the squad that day. Otto Described the night action very well in his AAR and I have little to add to it, except that once the engagement started, our Feldwebel was hit and I heard screaming for me to get to the top of the hill and take command of the Zug. Chaos ruled while I tried to get a handle on the situation, fortunately Feldwebel Heidrich recovered from his temporary incapacitation and took command again and ordered our withdrawal. That night the Amis decided to take a little revenge on us in the form of an artillery barrage, the lack of sleep only spurred my motivation for the battle to come... The next morning after breakfast we received heartbreaking news that St. Vith had fallen and we were encircled. The orders were given to gear up and start fighting our way back to Germany. It wasn't long before we began to encounter increasingly heavy American resistance. (The last battle...) Armed with only a rifle and a Luger, I once again took our squad into battle. Sadly the outcome was decided before a shot was fired, the American force standing between us and the Fatherland was too strong and well equipped for our exhausted zug to break through. We fought well and inflicted heavy losses on the enemy before we were forced to surrender. For those of you who made it through this... I'll wrap it up with these last thoughts: Thanks again to all of the Battlesim crew who made this an amazing event! Your organization and attention to all the little details is what made it so great. I'll echo Otto's appreciation for the immersion in German commands and tactics, this is definitely something that we are going to import back to our 3rd Panzergrenadier unit. The acting out hits was a radical change for me, and while I thought it would be kind of lame when I first read that in the rules, on the field it made for a great atmosphere, it also allowed you to stay around the fight and see how things were going. I could go on and on singing praises for this event, but I think I've already veered off into the superlative. Lastly I'd again like to express my admiration for all who attended, the impressions looked great and the fighting was even better! Hope to see you all again at another event. -Garrick
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Young Blood
Corporal
Dog Co. 504 PIR, 82nd Airborne (SoCal)
Posts: 876
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Post by Young Blood on Jan 20, 2009 20:46:20 GMT -5
..awsome pics, wish I were there, can't wait for jump to destiny 2..!!!!!! cheers.. -Eddie
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YankeeDiv26
Staff Sgt.
Frustrated Mac Owner
BDM<33
Posts: 2,462
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Post by YankeeDiv26 on Jan 20, 2009 20:59:30 GMT -5
Great pictures. Any chance of Battlesim doing a WWII event on the east coast similar to what they did with Op. liberty Canyon?
<YD>
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Post by hairy apple on Jan 20, 2009 22:05:02 GMT -5
Looks awesome, I'm really hoping that I (and hopfully a few comrades) will be able to make it to jump to destiny this year. Looks like a blast!!!!
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Post by youonlywish on Jan 21, 2009 0:06:46 GMT -5
These pictures are enough to make me take a massive road trip. Well done.
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Post by sir veilance on Jan 21, 2009 2:37:44 GMT -5
The JU-52 I was riding in set down through thick fog and rumbled to a stop on the edge of a flugplatz, that was not far from the German/Belgian border. How the pilot found his was through this soup was a complete mystery to me! Somehow the pilot had managed to get us there an hour earlier than had been scheduled. Through the fog I glimpsed a sign that said "Seatac". This must have been the name of a nearby town.
After retrieving my equipment from the rear of our Tante Ju, I headed to the transport depot on the edge of the airfield. My original orders directed me to link up with units of the 3rd Panzer Grenadier Division, but due to my unexpected early arrival and news that there were delays to the East my orders were changed. I piled into the back of an Opel Blitz that was part of a convoy that was about to leave for the front. The convoy was originally scheduled to leave after dark to avoid allied air attacks, but due to the thick fog, it set off at once. We rumbled off toward the front, but soon stopped at a supply dump near a small Belgian village. I was issued rations for three days and managed to buy some Belgian beer from one of the villagers.
The Belgian civilians on this side of the country were more German than French and were very kind to us. The Frauleins in the village were very friendly and very attractive. The convoy commander had a hard time getting everyone back in the trucks because of this. If I live through this war I may have to come back to this part of the world to pursue friendlier engagements!
I arrived at a field post not far from St. Vith before dark. There were a few SS truppen and Fallschirmjagers milling around as well as one or two Heer soldats. We were close enough to the front that sporadic gunfire could be heard through the fog. In the dimming light I had time to sort out my gear, find a spot in a tent and had a chance to reconnoiter the immediate area to get my bearings.
As darkness fell I was assigned sentry duty on the road to St. Vith. I helped direct convoys of troops coming from the East well into the evening. One convoy brought elements of the the 3rd PzGD division who I was previously order to link up with back at the village of Seatac. The first truck had Otto, Alban, Wolfgang and Garrick who I had fought side by side with during many battles on the Russian front. I was relieved from guard duty at about this time and helped them unload their gear.
We broke into our rations to quench our hunger and drank the great Belgian beer that it seamed everyone had managed to acquire on the trip from the depot. The tent was cold and damp, we spread straw around the inside of the tent to make it more livable, but sleeping was difficult. It was a cold night, but not near as cold as the brutal Russian cold we had left before our journey to the West. Wolfgang and Otto were so uncomfortable that they went AWOL, they were almost late for Morning roll call and claimed to have snuck off to the motor pool to sleep in the cab of one of the Opel Blitzs or was it a Ford. I think they were lying and really went back to the village with all the lovely frauliens!!
Before we fell in I managed to attack my rations again and gulp down a large cup of coffee that the cook had scooped a large helping of sugar into. That was something that was quite often in short supply on the Russian front. He also had some ersatz powdered cream, that turned the coffee into a desert like confection that I wanted to drink as slowly as I could, so as to relish the luxury of it, but soon the Feldweble was shouting at everyone to fall in, gear and uniforms were inspected as well as the tidiness of our tent.
We were assigned to three different squads. I joined 10 FJ's. There was a five man Waffen SS squad and five Heer troops, that included four members of the 3rd PzGD and one Heer straggler named Willy. All 20 of us were soon drilling and practicing squad tactics. The older veterans complained a little but did not let the NCO's hear any of it so as to not face their wrath. We did this for couple of hours, until we were exhausted and covered in sweat. We returned to the feldpost for something to eat and to load up on ammo. The temperature had risen so I used part of this time to get rid of the long underwear I had had on since the cold night before. I would put it back on by night fall!
Before long we were called back into formation and moved out in a column formation heading up the road toward the American positions. The Heer group was in the lead followed by the SS squad. The FJ group that I was attached to, followed up the whole column. Our FJ squad was the only full squad, and were equipped with a couple rifles and an array of automatic weapons. I carried an MP40 as did a few others. Our squad also had one FG42, two MP44's and a two man MG34 team.
Before long the front of the column made contact with the Ami's and the Fj's took up a position advancing up the right flank. After some small skirmishes we regained the road and continued our advance. We lost contact with the Heer and SS troops, but the dispatch rider kept us informed of their progress. As we approached a bend in the road, I was assigned to scout the hillside on the left to see what may lie around the bend.
I took three Fj's with me as we struggled to negotiate through the thorny brambles that were as hard as barbed wire to get through. Progress was slow, but we broke into some open ground and I found myself pinned down by automatic fire coming from a bunker that was hidden around the bend of the road. I returned fire and passed the word back to inform the rest of the squad who were still back around the bend of the road that we had made contact.
The rest of the squad joined the attack but no sooner had we pushed the Ami's out of that bunker, that they opened up on us from another bunker just behind that one. We took a few casualties and because of the stiff resistance. We regrouped back around the bend in the road, and shifted our attack up the hillside towards Hill 513. By this time the SS and Heer units had made some progress and we could see the firefight that was raging there from some distance away. Part of the Fj squad was detached to reinforce the battle for the hilltop while the rest of us held the right flank. As the fighting on the hilltop continued we encountered sporadic firefights as the Americans probed our right flank.
Once the bunker on Hill 513 was secured we were soon given orders to push forward on the right flank to support the rest of our troops who where now assaulting into the dense pine forest at the top of the hill. The fighting went from long range firefights to close in tree to tree fighting and grenade duels. The battle in the woods went on for sometime, many casualties were taken on both sides and as the light started to wain so did our ammunition. We conducted an orderly withdrawal to our feldpost.
Before we could finish our resupply effort, the alarm was sounded as the Ami's pressed home an attack on the bunker just up the road from our feldpost. The FJ's had been held in reserve and before long we were called up to reinforce our Heer and SS comrades holding the line by the bunker. Wolfgang was manning the MG 42 in the bunker and had been keeping the Ami's at bay, but the gun malfunctioned and our MG34 team fell into position to help take over the defense. The rest of the FJ's took up positions on the right to cover the withdrawal of a mix of Heer and SS who had counterattacked the Ami's on the right, but were soon taking a beating themselves. On the left Otto and Alban, used the spectacular long range marksmanship, that they had honed to a fine edge on the Russian front, to pick off many of the attackers. Alban ran low on ammunition and was killed when he single handedly made a bayonet charge against the American positions. When the Americans realized that further attacks would be fruitless, they withdrew from the field to lick their wounds. We collected our dead and wounded comrades and headed back to camp.
During the afternoon the sky had cleared and the sun had warmed us but as the sun went down, the lack of cloud cover caused the temperatures to drop rapidly. I found myself cold, hungry and very tired. I hurriedly donned the long underwear, that I had relieved myself from earlier in the day and got in the chow line for a hot meal. As it got dark and we filled our stomachs, I started to not feel very well. I headed off to try and relive my agony to no avail and when I returned to camp I found it empty. Everyone had fallen in to pay their last respects to our fallen comrade Alban. I stayed in the shadows so as to not incur the wrath of the NCOs for not falling in for the ceremony. Garrick was decorated for his actions during the days fighting as well.
Volunteers were asked for, for a night patrol and as I was very tired and still not feeling very well I decided to stay in camp. As I lay in the tent I could hear our commander explaining the details of the mission. I started to feel a little better and at the last minute fell in with everyone else as the patrol began it's march up the road into the darkness.
The night began with clear star filled skies, but soon the clouds and fog began to roll their way back into the valley. Our mission was to head back to Hill 513 and take out an enemy post we believed was positioned there. Progress up the hillside was very slow, due to the darkness and the ever present thorn brambles that covered it. We soon found part of our force aborting that approach and shifting to the left, up a road that would allow us to approach the position across a small plateau on the left side of the bunker. Two dogs began barking from a nearby farm house and at first I though they would give us away, but soon realized that their barking would mask the sound of our approach.
As our part of the force crept across the open plateau, the rest of the patrol was coming into position just below the bunker on the far slope. Suddenly all hell broke loose. A flare flew into the sky lighting up the whole plateau. I hit the ground and started firing as more flares came out, tracer machine gun fire flew at us from the bunker, adding to what was already a surrealistic scene. Within a few minutes our leader was down and Garrick took over. Shortly after that we rushed the bunker and the enemy guns fell silent.
Someone thought they saw Ami's in the trees not far away and I found myself joining an assault on that position with the SS squad. Once there, there was no enemy to be found. At that moment the Ami's counterattacked the bunker and crossed the plateau in front of us. We could hardly see them through the smoke and fog. We couldn't tell if we had gotten any of them or not. We decided to assault the bunker again to back up our guys who had been in it before the Ami's counterattacked. We did not know that our guys had fallen back just before the Ami's attacked. We were all gunned down in the progress!
I was wounded and by this time out of ammunition. In the darkness I limped back to our feldpost only to find out that our attack had not been in vain and that we had given the rest of the patrol time to withdraw into the darkness. With our mission accomplished we gathered around the campfires before turning in for the evening. Sleep did not come easy as the cold crept back into our tents and those damned Ami's kept lobbing artillery at us in retaliation for our raid on their post!!
We arose to a very cold Morning and after eating a hot breakfast made by our great Luftwaffe mess cook. We geared up for another assault on the American positions. Our attack went very well, we pushed by many American positions and soon found ourselves in the pine forest at the top of the hill. I and the rest of our FJ squad inflicted many casualties on the enemy and soon found ourselves on the edge of the American camp itself. While one of our FJ's along with our squad leader were engaging an American in the camp I flanked to the right, right amongst the Ami's tents to take out the last defender. The camp was ours, but there were only three of us and American reinforcements were soon on the way and we had to abandoned our hard won prize.
We fell back to the road and eventually all the way back to the hill bunker. As we were surrounded we were given the option of surrendering are making one last assault on the Ami's. Even though it could be a suicidal effort, we decided to go out in a blaze of glory and charged once more into the enemy guns.
At first we made very good progress and once again we threatened the American camp, but soon the attack ran out of steam. At this point I was wounded and taken prisoner, for me the war was over.
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Sgt_Tom
Technical Sgt.
Combat!
Posts: 3,580
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Post by Sgt_Tom on Jan 21, 2009 16:01:07 GMT -5
Great job guys! I hope my events will be as good as this. I am seeing more Garand AEG's every event!
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Post by Stewie on Jan 22, 2009 13:21:52 GMT -5
Hey guys. Thanks to everybody who came out especially those who traveled a long ways, its always good to see people from out of state.
Ersatzjack, I believe you are talking about Feldwebel Heidrich(spelling, and his actual name is Greg Hamilton) and DJ Warfield(the SS squad leader)
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Young Blood
Corporal
Dog Co. 504 PIR, 82nd Airborne (SoCal)
Posts: 876
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Post by Young Blood on Jan 22, 2009 17:29:05 GMT -5
..was this at the same venue we had jump to destiny at..?? -Eddie
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Post by Jager.Drü on Jan 23, 2009 10:28:20 GMT -5
Nope its not the same place as JTD.
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Post by johnspartan117 on Jan 24, 2009 22:22:23 GMT -5
Sorry but I'm new to this. Does the area where someone gets shot designate whether they're wounded or "killed"?
Also, I saw a medic. Do they have a potential to "heal" in a sense, other "wounded" players?
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Post by CharleyNovember on Jan 25, 2009 7:03:00 GMT -5
At Battlesim events you get a wound dressing at random when you are hit a buddy pulls out your dressing and it will tell you where you were shot and what is going on. Sometimes your screwed sometimes you can be healed by the medic. At JTD we had a guy playing medic that was just outstanding in the role. HE really played the part and it added to an already excellent event.
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Post by Jager.Drü on Jan 25, 2009 11:08:25 GMT -5
We did a new thing this year. It was a wound tag. You had it on your person, you get hit, go down screaming, pull your card, read it and hang it on your gear. If it was a heal-able wound a medic could patch you up. Or you can bleed out.
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Post by johnspartan117 on Jan 25, 2009 11:12:11 GMT -5
Is there a set time limit to bleed it out? :3
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2nd Bat
Master sergeant
Posts: 11,813
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Post by 2nd Bat on Jan 25, 2009 12:39:46 GMT -5
Yes, Understand that each group establishes it's own medic rules. Some more elaborate than others. At some point there might be advantages to standardizing these things but for now it varies group to group and to some degree event to event. The more formalized medic rules with the requirement of a theatrical death, random outcomes from "wound" cards and significance of medics in my opinion ads a lot. Our local group continues to add more and more to the role and the requirements. If you have a lot of players coming from conventional "HIT HIT HIT, red rag, walk off the field rules" you're probably going have to move toward more authentic rules somewhat gradually. I believe it is well worth the effort. The bleedout rule ranges from 5 to 15 minutes and often depends on how many players and the scope and area you are playing in.
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Post by johnspartan117 on Jan 25, 2009 13:03:42 GMT -5
Wait, so, I'm not sure if I'm getting this right, but... Once you get hit by a BB, you pull out a wound card. How many of these would you have?
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Post by sir veilance on Jan 25, 2009 13:14:14 GMT -5
One at a time. When you respawn you draw a new wound card.
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2nd Bat
Master sergeant
Posts: 11,813
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Post by 2nd Bat on Jan 25, 2009 14:19:44 GMT -5
Again note that different groups have assorted rules for medic.
At the Long Winter the players all had a wound card which they did not know the severity of until hit. This was occassionally somewhat comical as I recall over hearing a player say he got hit in the head by a sniper shot and when he read his wound card it said he took a round to the foot. (It would make sense to simply describe the effect of the wound rather than a detailed description) The medic had limited replacement wound cards as did the medical aid station.
The rules as they were employed seem to work quite well. One additional rule that worked well at Long Winter was if the enemy was able to place fire on the aid station or had it in line of sight it had to be relocated at a site outside enemy influence. This happened numerous times during the Long Winter as the Krauts put pressure on the American Camp.
It makes the aid station a vital objective but eliminates the typical outrages that develope at many games around the respawn locations.
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alban
Private
Sniper for life.
Posts: 177
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Post by alban on Jan 26, 2009 22:48:33 GMT -5
A huge thank you to everyone who planned the event and who attend as well!!! From the minute we pulled up we were greeted with friendly faces willing to help us unpack and get settled down. The whole experience made it my favorite event so far. From sleeping in the cold, hard training, attacking or defending hill 513, being at my own funeral, night raid, meeting new people and fighting with my other midwest soldats I loved every minute of it. Awesome photos and looking forward to a video if there is one.
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