Griet gritted her teeth and focused on her zigzags. Nothing else mattered but to keep the boat weaving and provide the enemy with the hardest target she could. She cast an eye on the wind, now would be a good time for the treacherous winds in this region of the river to start playing up as it would play hob with that pig of a monitor's navigation.

Zig

Zag

Griet
Zig zagging
Careful not to get into a pattern

"Oh shit!" Quyen says wide eyed at the near hits and sole impact. She then hunkers down below the gunwhales as much as possible and grips the PKM tightly and ready for action... waiting for the distance to close before she can add to the fire directed on the enemy boats. She wanted to light up and smoke so bad though.

Quyen then glances over at Tucker and his RPG and says "Once more into the fray my friend."

Quyen
Bow
Keeping low until targets in range
PKM (100/100)

"Förbannat", Anders cursed in his maternal tongue, Swedish, as the Queen turned and blocked his aim. He kept his weapon aimed at the direction it was already at and prepared to engage the enemy as soon as they'd reppear from behind the superstructure. First thing on his short list would be acquiring the police boat's gunner and silencing him.

Manning the Vasilek as the gunner
Weapon readied, waiting for a firing solution
This message was last edited by the player at 11:01, Fri 01 Feb 2013.

Warren keys his radio "Da. Relaying now."

Waiting for a break in the steady comm traffic of the excited Russians, he breaks the net, speaking in Russian  "Drakon eto koroleva. Tselevaya tolʹko krupnyye kanonerskoy lodki , no v pervoy zhe vozmozhnosti ! Povtorite, prioritetom yavlyayetsya kanonerskoy lodki!"

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)

Dragon this is Queen.  Target only the larger gunboat, but at earliest opportunity!  Repeat, priority is the the gunboat!

---

The next time the Krolowa's zigzags brought the police boat into his field of fire, Thijs opened up once again.  At this range, just hitting the boat was difficult enough; specifically targeting the grenade launcher or the pilot's station was out of the question.  He could, however, still hope for another lucky shot.

Thijs
Starboard DShK
C7A1 LSW [90/90 +(6x30)] slung, on SAFE
Shooting again at police boat, if possible

Connolly glances over her shoulder at the temporarily-orphaned Russians.  "Shit," she remarks conversationally.  "I forgot about them.  Mariusz!  Change of plans!"  She takes another look around, fixing the positions of both enemy vessels in her spatial awareness, then waits for Griet's maneuvering to mask the tug's port side from enemy fire.

If you have a rifle, you're another grunt.  If you have a pistol, you're an officer.  "Hold this for me."  She hands Danny her Kalashnikov, stands up, and steps over to the trio of cavalrymen, willing herself not to flinch at the rattle of shrapnel off the tug's hull.  "Gentlemen," she says in English, pitching her voice to deliver confidence even if the words don't come through, "this young man knows our ship very well.  He'll be your guide until we win the battle.  We'll get you back to your unit as soon as we can."  She indicates Mariusz with an imperious sweep of her hand.  "Mariusz, take charge of these men and do something unpleasant to the enemy."  Carefully watching the cavalrymen's faces, she favors the most receptive-looking one with a faint but approving smile and nod, then turns and casually strolls back to cover as the roll of the deck tells her Griet is unmasking the port side again.

"Give," she advises Danny, reclaiming her AIMS-74.  "'Boy Wonder?'  Really, Larue?  That's the best you could give him?"

Boots
AIMS-74 [30/30 + 4 magazines] - readied, on SAFE
M11 [13/13 + 2 magazines] - holstered, loaded but decocked

main deck, port side; fostering international cooperation (19:16, Today: Dominique 'Boots' Connolly rolled 7 using 1d20. Leadership check. )
This message was last edited by the player at 00:16, Sat 02 Feb 2013.

Danny passes the major's AK back to her with a resigned sigh.  "Think about it, Boss.  Teenage orphan sidekick.  Acrobatic, even."  He shrugs.  "I will admit, it made more sense when we had Dave around to play the dark, brooding vigilante."

Danny
Winona [30/30 + 5 magazines] - slung, on SAFE
CZ 75 [15/15 + 2 magazines] - holstered, cocked and locked
AN-M8 HC smoke grenade x2 - on vest
AN-M18 red smoke grenade x1 - on vest

main deck, port side; standing by for damage control or first aid
This message was last edited by the player at 00:22, Sat 02 Feb 2013.

Mariusz looked at the Russians and said, "This boat is run by warrior women and their pet German, only in Poland, eh? Come with me and we'll get you into cover until we're close enough to make a contribution to the battle. Until then your job is to stay alive and stop any fires if they appear. Are there any questions?"

Mariusz led the Russians to the rear of the boat and got them in to the best cover that he could find.

Mariusz
Fantail (watching for horse turds)
Taking cover
Prepared to act as damage team

Jan seemed to be a little spare at the moment as his weaponry lacked the range to be effective at the present time.  He was glad of that however because he didn't particularly want to be within the range of the monitor and its armament.

He moved over to join Craig on the port DShk, ready to act as his number 2 when he needed to reload and helping to spot as necessary in the meantime.  Once the police boat got closer his grenade launcher and even the LAW would come into play but he hoped that the other weapons could knock it out before it got within range.

Ryan seemed to be spare as well so Jan called over to him. "Ryan, go and assist Thijs on the starboard DShk."


Jan
Moving to assist Craig on the Port DShk.
Full combat tag to come later - I'm on my phone at present

The Krolowa continues to steam upriver, away from the two pursuing enemy vessels. The police boat continues to stay inside the Krolowa's blind spot, its main gunner periodically lobbing short bursts of 30mm HE in the tug's direction. Mariusz and his three Russians have the best view at the moment; they are also the most vulnerable. Fortunately, all of the grenades fall in the tug's wake, further disturbing the white water churned up by her straining screws. The rest of the Krolowa's crew is frustrated by the lack of opportunities to return fire. Niether Dishka can fire directly aft and whenever Griet zigs, the police boat zigs with her. Each swerve makes it harder for the police boat's gunner to hit the tug, but it also allows the bee-lining monitor to close a little more ground.

Konrad, on deck just aft of the bridge, relays a fire mission to the shore-based 120mm mortar. It takes nearly a minute from the initial orders to the firing of the first round, the THWOMP clearly audible on the tug. A few seconds later, the river explodes in a tower of white water about 100m dead ahead of the monitor. When the curtain of spray descends, the monitor is revealed to have swerved slightly to starboard, edging closer to the west bank (basically following the course established by the police boat). The monitor crew seems to have recognized the threat posed by the high ground on their port side (north) and they don't seem to be aware of the mortar's position on the west bank.

By now, the police boat has drawn roughly even with Dobiegniewo and the Soviet 'deserters' in the hamlet make their presence known, peppering the smaller, unarmored vessel with small arms fire. It returns fire with its starboard and aft PKMs while turning away from the west bank. Both sides' fire is deadly accurate and there's certain to be casualties on both sides. The men on the bluffs maintain fire discipline, realizing that the fast-moving target is too far away for small arms fire to be effective against it. (If the tug manouvers correctly when the boat breaks to port, at least one of the Dishka gunners should get another shot at it.)

The low speed chase continues. The Krolowa keeps pushing upriver, tring to draw the monitor into the ZU-23-2's kill box. In the meantime, there's not much to do on board the tug as long as she's running away from her pursuers. Konrad can call in corrections for a second mortar round, and the heavy machinegunners can stay ready for another opportune moment for a hopeful very long range shot. Fortunately, there's no damage to attend to, but that could change at any moment.


Updated tac-map: https://maps.google.com/maps/m...pn=0.080642,0.264187


Next Moves?
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:32, Sat 02 Feb 2013.

Bayer hears the weapon signature of the 120mm mortar firing in the distance and glaces down at the second hand on his watch ticking along, calculating the flight time. When the round impacts on the water he notes the time and raises his binoculars back up to observe the river behind the Queen. Once again using the reticle pattern to measure the distances, he gauges the the distance and deviation of the spotter round and prepares to make corrections - factoring in the flight time to help aid in accuracy. Had the monitor not altered course, it would be much easier, but it's still not too much of a problem since the round landed fairly close to it's target.

Looking over at Yvgenny first, Bayer pauses for a brief moment to factor in the delay of the flight time, then shouts over his shoulder, "One round for adjust fire... left fifty... add twenty five..."

What he does next depends on the accuracy of the next spotting round. If the round is still off by 50-100 meters, Bayer will make a third correction. However, if it falls under 50 meters from the boat, Bayer will call for "fire for effect"... until the monitor moves out of the impact area.

Bayer
Just aft of the bridge
Adjusting mortar fire
Binoculars & Map
This message was last edited by the player at 19:00, Sat 02 Feb 2013.

Realising that no one was using the PKM that Craig had mounted in the aft firing position Jan left his position beside the British Commando and made his way quickly to the rear of the boat on the quarterdeck.  He wasn't sure whether the scout boat was actually going to come within range of the PKM but he was more likely to be able to engage with it than his AK.

He ducked cautiously into the position, trying not to expose himself to any fire from the enemy machineguns or the AGS, and once he was there he loaded and fired a single burst with the PKM at the scout boat to ascertain whether it was actually possible to hit the targets once you allowed for the movement of both boats.  He hadn't fired a machinegun in a while and he couldn't ever remember firing one from a moving boat at another moving boat!


Jan
Moving to the aft fighting position on the quarterdeck and manning the PKM there, loading and then firing a single 5 rnd burst at the scout boat
Aft Fighting Position - crouched
PKM (100/100) - manned
AK-74 Assault Rifle (30/30 - 30rnd mag x10) - slung
BG-15 Grenade Launcher (1/1 HE - HE x17) - underslung on AK-74
P226 Pistol (15/15 - 15rnd mag x4) - holster
M72A4 LAW - slung over shoulder
Frag grenade x2 - webbing pouch
Smoke grenade x2 - webbing pouch
This message was last edited by the player at 22:06, Sun 03 Feb 2013.

Griet kept zig-zagging and plodded toward the north shore. She looked over her shoulder at the pursuing boats and said, "Let me know when the monitor in a kilometer away, it should be a major threat then."

"All guns," she said over the intercom, "When we turn to engage I will execute a three sixty turn on the spot. Starboard Dushka will have a chance of firing before all gun come to bear."

Griet
Zig-zagging

Crouching just inside the port entryway off the galley, Danny twiddles his thumbs, watches the bluffs on the north bank, and waits for the inevitable medic call.  He finds himself whistling Jungle Work and drumming on Winona's upper receiver.

Danny
Winona [30/30 + 5 magazines] - slung, on SAFE
CZ 75 [15/15 + 2 magazines] - holstered, cocked and locked
AN-M8 HC smoke grenade x2 - on vest
AN-M18 red smoke grenade x1 - on vest

main deck, port side; standing by for damage control or first aid

Connolly makes her way aft to the machine shop and checks in on McClurg and Tadeusz to be sure they're under cover and ready to put out fires.  Once she's satisfied herself on that account, she pokes her head out the adjacent hatch to observe the painfully slow pursuit.

"Hey, Tadeusz," she calls, "would it give us any maneuver advantage to have the Zoo shoot out the monitor's rudder and props?  They can't have armored that thing everywhere."

Boots
AIMS-74 [30/30 + 4 magazines] - readied, on SAFE
M11 [13/13 + 2 magazines] - holstered, loaded but decocked

main deck, port side aft; watching and waiting
This message was last edited by the player at 01:47, Mon 04 Feb 2013.

Craig nodded to himself as the intercom blared. He lowered his body further behind the gun shield and steadied himself. He could see the steam coming off the large guns barrel as he waited.

If he was able to choose a target on either of the boats he would focus on the turrets on the monitor and just putting rounds towards the water taxi.


Port DShK
Firing on either target
This message was last edited by the player at 07:56, Mon 04 Feb 2013.

Hearing the announcement over the Tannoy, Thijs prepared himself.  When Griet executed the turn, he would have first opportunity to fire.  The smaller target was now a bit over 600 meters away -- still long reange, but reachable.

Thijs
Starboard DShK*
C7A1 LSW [90/90 +(6x30)] slung, on SAFE
Ready to fire on water taxi
when brought to bear

*What is the current state of ammunition?

The tug continues to run from Torun's brown water navy, drawing the larger of the two vessels towards the shore-based ZU-23-2's line of fire. At a top speed of 15kmph, the Krolowa feels like it's barely moving against the rush of the current. The police boat pulls to within about 250m of the slow-moving tug, continuing to pepper its quary's wake with high explosive grenades. Jan decides to respond with bursts of 7.62mmR fire from the PKM mounted on the quarterdeck. He kneels behind the sandbag revetment and takes aim. The first burst starts well, but Jan has a hard time keeping rounds on target. The police boat jinks as at least one of the incoming rounds hits its mark. Jan's second burst is better, most of the burst appearing to strike the vessel. The police boat swerves into a tight u-turn, bearing to port, just as the Krolowa zigs in the same direction. The port-side Dishka is thereby unmasked, allowing Craig a brief but clear shot at the now-fleeing vessel. His aim is off and the burst sails high. The Krolowa cuts to starboard as it commences its zag and, just like that, the police boat is out of sight behind the tug's stern. (Jan -10 rounds; Craig -5 rounds)

In the meantime, Konrad relays a correction to the Deserter's 120mm mortar. The second shot impacts just 10m off of the monitor's port bow, staggering the big vessel for a couple of seconds and showering it with thousands of gallons of white water. Konrad orders the mortar to fire for effect and two more rounds splash down around the monitor (neither one nearly as close as the second one) before he instructs the mortar to check fire. The monitor motors through the deluge, bobbing a bit as a result of the near miss. It's quite possible, likely even, that the mortar strike has caused some damage to the monitor's hull. Then, 100m or so past the impact zone, and at about the same time as the police boat calls off the chase, the monitor begins coming about, turning hard to starboard. The timing of the manouver couldn't be much worse. The Crocodile is just at the edge of the ZU crew's line of fire. Once it completes its turn and begins moving downriver, it will be out of the danger (the police boat, on the other hand, will have to run right through the ZU's kill zone on its way back to Torun). The monitor's heavy machineguns open up at the shore in both directions as it comes about.


Updated tac-map: https://maps.google.com/maps/m...pn=0.040325,0.132093


Next Moves?
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:10, Tue 05 Feb 2013.

Griet saw the monitor start to pull away and yelled over the intercom, "Stand by to come about!"

She readied the thrusters and then spun the Queen on the spot, "About."

She pointed the boat toward the enemy and started her pursuit.

Craig tried to follow the pattern of the movement of the tug so he could anticipate a firing line on the departing boats. With the last line of misses it did not seem to be working.

He waited again for a chance to fire on either vessel.

As the police boat moved out of Craig's field of fire and behind the stern of the Queen it came into Jan's view.  He continued firing short controlled bursts at it with the PKM, focussing on hitting it rather that picking out a specific target on board.

When Griet executed the sharp turn of her ship it took the target away from him again, though it brought the enemy boats into everyone else's field of fire and that was the key thing.


Jan
Firing 5rnd bursts at the police launch while it is in his field of fire.
Aft Fighting Position - crouched
PKM (90/100) - manned
AK-74 Assault Rifle (30/30 - 30rnd mag x10) - slung
BG-15 Grenade Launcher (1/1 HE - HE x17) - underslung on AK-74
P226 Pistol (15/15 - 15rnd mag x4) - holster
M72A4 LAW - slung over shoulder
Frag grenade x2 - webbing pouch
Smoke grenade x2 - webbing pouch

Jay maintained his vigil, looking all around for anything of interest.

Anders kept the Vasilek ready for any potential target to take a shot at.

At the Vasilek, gunner
Ready action

As soon as the tug turns about and is steady again Quyen props the PKM bipod up on whatever support is available. She adjusts the sights on the gun to corespond to the water taxi and braces herself as best as possible before firing. Minh is aware of the recoid at this range and will only squeeze off two bursts.

Quyen
PKM (100/100)
Firing 2 bursts at water taxi
Bow

Bayer looks left and right, towards the DSHK posts and shouts to them, "Machineguns... 500 meters... escort boat... rapid fire! Take out that boat!" He then leans over the railing and calls down to the crew of the main gun, "Anders! Jay! Hold fire. Wait to engage the monitor."

Then over his shoulder he speaks into the wheelhouse, "Can you give us full speed?"
This message was last edited by the player at 01:10, Thu 07 Feb 2013.