The Second Battle of Pithy Gulch

A Headless Body Production 
Location:  Garth's Basement

Event:         Providence Gamer's Game Knight
Game:          All Quiet on the Martian Front
Scenario:      Defend Sappington, Montana
Players:        ??, 98th Brigade, 51st Division
                      Garth Parker, ??  Hive थिलबन्धनात्, Pod जलाद्रक्षेत्तैलाद्रक्षेद्रक्षेच्छि

The Scenario:  Pithy Gulch was one of the 50 or so critical passes through the Rocky Mountains that needed to be held against the invading Martians, to contain them in the central states. 

98th Brigade
4 Towers, 3 units Mk II's, 2 units Mk III's, 2 Infantry Companies, Patton Mk IV, 2 other Mk IV monitors, Tesla Gun, Tesla Mine Layer,  Flame thrower tank, Mobile Howitzers, Heavy Howitzers,  A MG Company, A Motorcycle unit, HQ, Command Tank.  19 units, breakpoint is 10.  Around 3380 points.

Hive थिलबन्धनात्, Pod जलाद्रक्षेत्तैलाद्रक्षेद्रक्षेच्छि
The Overseer, 6 Assault Tripods, 3 Scouts, 5 Units of Drones, a Slaver, a Scientist and Grenadier.  18 units, breakpoint is 9.  Around 3370 points

Victory Conditions: 
Keep the Martians from getting to the town, represented by the coaling station on the lower left side of the board.

Our story so far:

General Schiff's 98th Brigade lay in total ruins.  The field lay obscured in black oil fires of burning vehicles, occasionally brightened by the release of a Martians heat ray.  The last radio communication from the field was over 5 minutes ago.  He scanned the field one last time through the big eyes and saw nothing, he gave the order to evacuate.  An order he knew would result in the death of at least half his brigade, but also life for the other half.

Captain Patton was right, and paid for it with his life.  Schiff was observing his Mk IV when it took a heat ray square on, and  watched the turret blow off.  Damn fine officer.

That old growth forest, which General Schiff relied on to cover his artillery covered the advancing Martians as well.  And did nothing to stop that horrendous sun like ray that ripped through the forest, tanks and the coal bunker in one shot.

Later...

The evacuation was chaotic, but wasn't a rout.  No tripods pursued the bedraggled group of humanity.  Amazingly, soldiers from the field caught up with them, and also reported no pursuit.  They crossed another deep stream and entered a wood line, when General Schiff ordered a halt.  Deploying the two surviving 8" guns.  The generators were left behind, but the Tesla's portable generator was more then capable of powering up the transceivers. Standing in the shadow of the fearsome Tesla gun, General Schiff listened to the staccato of the Morse code operators send and receive their messages.

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Captain Patton dug out of the hole beneath his ruined tank.  They hadn't heard any skittering of drones for hours, and the ulas of the major war machines since dusk.

The full moon cast eerie shadows over the battlefield.  Muting the colors, but sharpening the details.  About a mile off, stood the huge tripod, code named "Overseer".  Still and silent it stood, but there was motion around it.  "So they haven't left." he thought,  "Probably recovery machines while their damn war machines ran General Schiff's army to the ground." 

"All right men, lets scavenge what we can.  Some weapons, but food and canteens are a priority.  I don't know how long it will be before we will enjoy a hot meal again."  

They were about a mile up into the mountains, when they heard a racket from whence they came.  Looking back, there was a rising pile of dust, but of the Overseer, there was nothing.  He scanned the field with his Bausch and Lombs.  "Well I'll be!"  He passed the binoculars to the next man.

"What happened to it sir?"

"It collapsed!  Look at it, and those smaller tripods are assault tripods, not recovery machines."

They watched as the tripods gathered up the debris of their now collapsed companion, and dragged them back up into the gulch.

"What's it all mean sir?"

"It means we won, I don't know how, but we won, it looks like we won't be missing too many hot meals after all."  And with that, he lead his men back down the mountain.

Deployment:
The 99th brigade replaces the 98th, taking up positions and wait for the return of the Martian.
Our reporter and photographer were killed during the battle, and this is what was scrounged from their bodies.

This time, monitor tanks are behind the high mountain, with II's and III's being offered as bait behind the concrete walls.

The Martians arrive and destroy only a single Mk II tank and two turret guns.  The Americans damage two Tripods, when suddenly one assault tripod explodes!

The Martians win the initiative on turn 2, routing a tank platoon.

The American guns were well aimed and the shells were coming fast.  One assault tripod takes a hit, then another, then explodes!

Then the Overseer is attacked.  The Tesla penetrates and damages it. Followed by Patton's tank, then a turret gun, then a Mk III, then a critical hit by a MkIII.  The overseer has one critical hit and has it

It makes the explosion of another Assault tripod by the flame tank anti-climatic by comparison. 

That's 3 tripods down, to 1 platoon of tanks.

With so many tripods destroyed, the Americans are revitalized and renew their efforts.  Another tank hits the Overseer, causing a critical, then two MG companies release a total of 18 shots on the Overseer, 9 hits, all penetrate for +4 on the damage charts.

Causing the required 3 criticals on the Overseer, and for the first time, one is brought down.

Like the first battle, another tripod tries to sneak through the old growth forest, but unlike the first, it to is reduced to rubble. 

A monitor tank lines up its 7" gun on a scout tripod.  A direct hit!  The relatively thinner armor cannot resist the impact of 150 pound shell traveling at high subsonic speeds, and it to detonates.

Scorpion drones, race through a mine field, tripping one, which cascades to another, and then to the minelayer itself.  Another Mk II is destroyed, but the platoon holds firm.

Another tripod burst out of the trees, heat ray sweeping ineffectively.  Another monitor tank barks it's heavy round, another hit.  The tripod figure detonates, it's blast wave tearing through the concrete walls of the fortifications.  Heavy fragments strike man and machine, ruining a heavy gun and tank. 

And then, as one, the remaining martians turn and silently moved away.  To the disbelief of the surviving Americans.  It was not a rout, just an acceptance that they were not going to lose more machines this day, and will return again, and again, until victory is achieved.

======================================================================

 

Brigadier Mahan looked through the big eyes in disbelief.  Seeing the martians at nearly point blank range with these lenses brought them into horrifying focus.  The gunnery of his men was impeccable.  He was unsure, but followed General Schiff's recommendations to follow the suggestions of Captain Patton and ordered massive firing exercises.  Expending ammunition at a precipitous rate.  But it paid off.  His stocks were now at a critical level, but his brigade was nearly unscathed.  Losses included only 5 tanks and one large gun.  Barely a company of men.