As the American player (Chuck Payne) for the initial 20PM scenario, I took two paratrooper platoons, a section of 81mm mortars and 2 jeeps. One of the jeeps came with a .50cal HMG, which was my hope when buying them. Steve Zundel was the German player for this campaign. Steve took Panthers in reserve and two platoons of SS infantry plus bought fortifications. The fortifications were a 6FP minefield in J12 and foxhole plus a HIP squad. One of the reserve Panthers was in M7, which greatly impacted the first scenario.
On the Germans' right flank 2 HSs with MMGs and a SdKfz 6/2 AA halftrack were behind the hedge. An 8-0 leader and a HMG HS were in J3 in a foxhole. A HIP SS squad was in J10's orchard. A platoon plus the mortars and HSs from the two other platoons entered on the main hillmass and grabbed positions to setup the mortars. A second platoon moved through the woods to the forest road for the thrust toward L10 (Brutet's House.) The third platoon had the most ambitious mission. Their job was to grab strategic objective hexes on the open hills to the southwest and south of the Cheneux village. With a night scenario following the initial assault, I wanted a wide area for launching my night attack. I had hexes L8, I19, O16, Q22 and X24 as my objective hexes. I19, L8 and X24 were very poor choices as I was to find out later.
Turn #1 was fairly uneventful, as I assembled my mortars and the German shifted his forces forward into the woods south and east of Brutet's house. On turn #2, the mist dropped, which severely limited my ability to move in the open ground hexes. My first mortar shots set the stage for the day. I forgot that firing smoke adds a +2 to hit and that elite units have their smoke exponents increased by one. Firing WP at concealed MG nests depleted them of WP without any successful hits. Had I remembered the above information, I would have at least dropped smoke on the J3 HMG nest and not depleted another mortar of WP. My first HE mortar shot promptly gets a critical on the SdKfz 6/2 on the northern flank and kills it. (The crew survived though.) I entered the rest of my force (except for the SPW 251/9 halftrack) on the southern part of the level 4 hill mass. One 81mm mortar moved into position around D7 to challenge the Krauts on that flank. I had already stripped the .50cal HMG from the jeep and its crew carried it onto the map. One platoon headed for the forest road while the second one followed the platoon trying to flank the Germans to the south. This latter platoon was intended to pressure the Germans in the woods from south of the stream. I hoped to use them to circle around the German front lines.
As my infantry moved down the forest road my lead squad searched for mines and found none. Then my 8-1 leader and MMG squad were hit by the HIP squad in J10. The leader broke and squad pinned from the LLTC. As we moved into turn #3, the only platoon making headway was the one hustling south of the battle. They were drawing a couple of German units toward them along with a couple of AA halftracks in the O12/P11 area. I dropped WP on K11 and advanced my MMG squad that had previously pinned moved forward. It immediately found a minefield in J13. It was able to toss WP on the concealed Germans next door breaking one squad. As I had the onus of the attack and the reserve 5/8" counter in M7 discouraged me from possibly activating it (and thus I did not venture to the north of L10), I had a very difficult nut to crack in the German defense. I would try to move forward and remain concealed. The German would fire PBF, Final Fire, Final Protective Fire to generally strip my concealment and break my unit. If my unit passed the MCs, the German would break to rout back behind his next line of defense to a waiting 8-1 leader. Behind his first line was a second line of concealed squads. (This leader only need a 6 DR to rally the broken DM'ed squads.) But with J13 as a minefield I only had two hexes open to try to close with his defense. My mortars were not helpful here because they had no LOS into the woods. My paratroopers kept pressing the attack, rallying and going back into the fray. I worked my 81mm mortar up along with my .50cal HMG. I did manage to break a HMG SS squad, which had an AA truck out of my LOS in that same hex in bypass (L11). My squad jumped on the opportunity to take out the truck in CC, but it then gacked its CC DR.
Now the question came up can an unarmored but armed halftrack fire at an in hex enemy unit during its next PFPh or is it too held in CC? If it could fire in hex, then my squad will take a 16FP TPBF shot. Otherwise, the Germans could only move up and take advancing fire shots against both the AA halftrack and my squad. We could not find anything either way, so we let the AA halftrack fire, which I am not sure was the right ruling. The squad broke. The Germans tried to send a HS around L10 in bypass to DM some of my broken units and cut this squad's rout path. My .50 cal HMG scored a crucial strike as it broke the HS and laid a firelane down. The German next assault moves a squad forward into K11 into the firelane and it breaks too. What is worse, it cannot rout because of my broken squad. The Germans try to eliminate my squad with multiple AFPh shots, but only casualty reduce it while killing the AA halftrack and its crew. The bad news is they advance into the hex to retake the HMG!
By turn #5, I had a bunch of broken guys being rallied by a 7-0 leader safely out of he way. (My earlier broken 8-1 leader rolled boxcars on his first self-rally and died from wounds.) Now during the turn, I activate the German sniper who then wounds my 7-0. And it DM's all the broken units again. During my next RPh, I would roll back to back boxcars to CR two squads. I was making some ground to the north having broken the MMG HSs, who fell back into the woods to be rallied. A mortar scored a critical hit on the HMG HS in the J3 foxhole, but it passed its MC without any problem. I got a HS into CC with this SS HS, but lost the CC once again.
To the south, my platoon captured the objective hexes I19, O16 and Q22. A dummy squad held up my push toward Q22 enough that I could not have gotten to X24 even with more time. Also the German sniper broke one of my two forward squads just after it got into position to take out a pesky SS HS in my way. The second platoon that worked around to the south saved much of my bacon by limiting a German counterattack to just DM'ing my broken units.
The scenario ended on the first possible turn (at the end of the American's 6th turn.) I had a hero in a hex with a German MMG, but the rules do not allow recovery during refit. I had worked a squad with a MMG two BAZ HS and a HS with the .50cal HMG into the K10 to K12 area when the game ended. I had made a huge mistake by not placing an objective hex in this area other than L8, which I never tried to take (so I would not activate the Panther.) Now my unbroken guys had to escape from inside German lines. I lost all three HSs during this the squad was replaced with 2 HSs (it nearly was eliminated too.) I also found out to my chagrin that objective hexes only exert influence for two hexes not three. Thus my carefully placed objective hexes were not connected together into one large setup area, but rather formed several smaller areas. Luckily, I had 81mm mortars that form strategic locations. One mortar was far enough forward that it kept me from needing to evacuate the area totally.
For the first scenario, counting my escape DRs, I lost 5.5 American squads, an 8-1 and 7-0 leader, disabled the SPW 251/9's MA on its second shot, lost 2 BAZs, my .50cal HMG and a 60mm mortar). The German lost 2 squads, one SdKfz 6/2, one SdKfz 10/4 and its crew.
For the 20N night scenario, I gacked my CPP DR and rolled a 10. I could only buy 3 platoons of infantry. I took one platoon onmap with the other two coming in from the western entry area. I also used 3 CPP to buy 45 FPP. I used 30 FPP for 10 factors of AT mines, another 8 to buy foxholes to link my setup areas together this time, and 7 for dummy cloaking counters. After checking with Perry when Steve questioned this move, I found out that it was illegal, so I removed the dummy cloaking counters.
Steve surprised me and did not take an attack chit to get automatic freedom of movement. He bought 45 FPP, two SS infantry platoons and a an SS MG platoon.
My basic plan included shifting most of my remaining onmap forces into the Q22 and O16 (ford) setup areas plus my new onmap platoon with only my mortars to the west along with one fanatic HS in a setup area by himself around G1. These forces will be reinforced by my 2 entering platoons. I selected II13, MM8 and OO12 as my objective hexes. To win the campaign, I really will need to capture the bridge over the Ambleve River. The German had no units in its vicinity last time and it is isolated from the rest of his setup. Monceau had no leaders in it, but it did have 2.5 squads or so there and an AA truck with a disabled MA. Therefore, my forces will strike the heaviest at Monceau to clear the town and most importantly to infiltrate into the woods near the bridge. At best they would capture the bridge unexpectedly. At worst, I would have a good jump off point for my 21AM attack. I also desired to stretch the German defense as much as possible for the 21AM scenario.
I also know my opponent does not like night scenarios. While I am not that proficient with them rule-wise, I enjoy the night. My plan is based upon avoiding contact everywhere until my main force is in the FF16 area. I want to keep my cloaking for as long as possible because the barbed wire will be a major obstacle at night. (It costs 3MF to cross, plus the unit cannot be CX.) I expect that I will require 3-4 turns to get into position to overwhelm the defenders in Monceau.
Well, plans seldom last past contact with the enemy. My attack was no different. When I saw the German setup, I saw I could gain an extra hex on my first movement phase by not crossing the barbed wire and moving nearer the stream. I recognized that hex V12 could have a HIP unit in it, but I decided to gamble that it did not. After all there was a concealed stack in V11, so it was probably clear. WRONG! I moved this cloaking counter last just in case there was a HIP unit. Of course, the unit fired at me and got a starshell placed to light my cloaking counter up. This quickly gave freedom of movement (FOM) to a number of Germans on the crestlines in Cheneux. (This move was a major blunder on my part. I should have used one less CPP on AT mines and spent a point on recon.) I advanced a concealed squad with a MMG into CC with the SS squad and LMG, ambushed him and then gacked the DR. My squad was eliminated in two rounds of melee without doing squat to the German unit.
Even worse, my cloaked 8-1 and another squad with a MMG drew enough fire to pin and lose their cloaking. Once I started losing cloaking more and more reserves were activated by just getting a starshell near my units. During the second and third turns especially, the Germans got almost perfect placement of their starshells during my player turns against my forces to the west of Monceau. In an effort to keep cloaking, my forces only assault moved and then advanced. The net effect as I was feeling out the German for what units were real and which ones were dummies was I did not use my numbers to take out his more limited numbers in the area. When I did rush an SS squad with a MMG, it first fired at PBF and broke a HS, final fired and broke another squad, and then final protective fired (FPF) against a dummy cloaking counter and broke itself. Rushing 8 morale units, who can afford to gamble with FPF, at night with 7 morale paratroopers is not conducive to winning.
While I did everything I could to close with the Germans and get into CC with them (to neutralize their morale advantage plus I would have a 7:6 odds advantage in CC), my troops repeatedly broke from the German PBF. On the occasions I did get adjacent, the German would either break and rout back into the protection of other German defenders. Or the German would hang in there and win the melee against all odds.
As an example, in turn #4 I dropped IR into the German ranks which lit up a number of his units. I then dropped WP on a squad with a LMG in P4 and more WP onto Q5's HMG/MMG combo of HSs. The P4 squad pins, the Q5 MMG HS rolls boxcars and is eliminated and the other HS pins. I advance a concealed squad into P4, but gack my DR. The pinned German HS self-breaks and routs away from an adjacent US HS. During the next turn, my HS fails to recover the HMG left behind. My squad in P4 is CR while gacking another CC DR. During my next player turn, I recover the HMG and move the HS forward a hex while other units should be moving up. They get pinned or broken instead. I do get another HS adjacent to P4 and advance in to reinforce the melee. Now I have 1:1 odds but the Krauts choose to attack one HS at 2:1. I lose a HS while doing no damage in 3 rounds of melee. I lose my last HS during the next round without hurting the German squad at all. My HS with the German HMG cannot eliminate it in the RPh (only in a fire phase). A German leader and HS move adjacent in the MPh, but I won't shoot an enemy MG at night. Then during my DFPh, I overlook that I have not destroyed the HMG. I saw a German colored counter on top and forgot my HS was possessing it. I then lose the ensuing CC and the German gets his HMG back. Out of maybe a dozen CC DRs I kill 1.5 broken squads and an unbroken HS all night. When I had good position in the Z14 area, I roll boxcars which allowed the SS squad with a LMG to withdraw. It moves into a hex adjacent to two of my squads and breaks them both with spraying fire in the next player turn.
As the bulk of my eastern force attacked the north end of Monceau, I suddenly had a starshell blind a German reserve in HH21. I CX'ed a stack out of LOS of his reserve in GG25 and past the HH21 reserve. I now had a leader and squad who could get to my OO12 objective hex and maybe be able to get to MM8 too. One German squad tried to cut my units off, but it failed to get a starshell. Thus, I could maneuver outside of its LOS and CX for OO12. Seeing where I was going the Germans dispatched a squad with a LMG led by a 6+1 leader and a Panther to hold the bridge. After taking OO12, my stack pushed forward towards MM8. The leader and squad had gotten to MM7 the previous player turn and the squad advanced into MM8. The leader and a dummy stack were back in MM7 with a Panther. The leader placed a starshell in his own hex which would serve him well. By this time rain had started and become heavy rain. I pushed my 7-0 leader and squad into MM9 hoping to survive the PBF. Both broke from the 16FP +2 shot, since I lost my concealment moving into an illuminated location.
To the west of Cheneux I took the L10 building fairly easily as the German only used enough to slow me down for a turn or two. As my units pushed forward toward building P9, I discovered the woods hexes P10 and Q11 were mined. I suddenly face being in open ground versus SS in stone buildings. My attack here stalled as the Germans had a lot of firepower along the line from Q10 to P9 to Q5 to P4 plus some HIP units in the woods. The defenders were bolstered by having reserves able to hold key spots, so to gain any ground I was forced to activate them too. The repercussions of not taking Brutet's house during the first scenario date had a lot of impact during the night scenario. By the end of the scenario my 81mm mortars once again were critical to establishing my setup area for the next day.
To attack Cheneux from the west the Americans must cross a lot of open ground. If illuminated and not concealed or cloaked, it will activate reserves up to six hexes away. Being on a hill meant reserves were activated by the middle of the scenario. If an American unit breaks, the German can easily keep it DM'ed for far a long time (open ground on a hill with bunches of slope lines). To attack Cheneux from the south means crossing through the stream and facing abrupt elevation changes and generally very slow going. By the time the American could get there the Germans are in stone buildings and the Americans are probably either CX'ed or broken.
The disparity between the relative TEMs and morales is probably the most frustrating part of a KGP II campaign. With all the mist, night LV, stone building TEM, hedges and height advantage modifiers, the German normally had +3 or better DRMs against Americans with typically only a +1 or +2 at best. A unit behind a hedge with +1 for mist and night LV has a +3 DRM, and a unit in a stone building has a +4 DRM minimum. The American meanwhile is generally in open ground, his height advantage is neutralize by not getting the night LV DRM and his moving forward to engage the Germans adds in a -1 DRM for FFNAM. With a +1 for mist, -1 FFNAM and +1 HA/NLV, the American usually had a net +1. Once heavy rain began, the Germans in stone buildings were unbreakable without forming large stacks, which I refused to do.
By the end ot the scenario, which ended once again on the first dr, the American had captured four buildings in the north end of Monceau and Brutet's house for 2 LVP hexes now controlled. The Americans suffered 23 CVP during this scenario to 18 CVP for the Germans. However, it was not that close. The Americans lost 10.5 squads, a 7-0 and a 6+1. The Germans lost 4.5 squads, 3 vehicle crews, two 2cm LKW FlaK trucks and an SdKfz 10/4 halftrack. In short, the Americans lost all of their reinforcing platoons while the Germans lost only half of theirs. The 15.5 German squads, 5 leaders, 1 armor leader and crew now have 4 HMGs, 4 MMGs, 10 LMGs, 4 PSKs, a BAZ and an American MMG against my 12 remaining squads, four crews, two jeeps, 6 American MMGs, 3 BAZ, 5 60mm mortars and two 81mm mortars.
[Whine Mode On]
Before buying my 21AM purchases I studied calculated the CPP cost for the initial forces for both sides, added in the 20PM CPP for both sides, and then CPP for each campaign date. Guess what? The German has more CPP for the entire campaign than the American does if they both roll the same. The 65 CPP minus a DR for the American on 21AM is entirely offset by only having 10 CPP minus a DR for the 21PM scenario. The German gets a pretty steady 35 CPP per scenario until the final outing when he only gets a base 25 CPP.
Let me get this straight. The defender has a 5 ELR, a higher morale, can become fanatic for one scenario, has a section of tanks that can survive any LATW hit except a critical, up to 2 purchased MG platoons, plus defends from stone buildings in mist and rain against an attacker coming across open ground with lots of WP (if it lasts). And the defender has more total CPP! This is crazy!
With all this said, the American still has a chance at winning the Campaign. The biggest caveat is the American player cannot make any serious mistakes, nor can he afford for the German to roll significantly better than he does on CPP. Furthermore, if the German keeps his attack chit for the last scenario, he will get some reinforcements, where the American will probably only have a couple of CPP for fortifications. The German has the real possibility of using 150mm OBA preregistered on the most vulnerable American LVP hexes.
[Whine mode off]
When the first starshell was fired on my first player turn, I knew the campaign was very likely lost. After taking a beating during the night, 21AM would be a very difficult day to say the least. Even buying 5 new platoons, I would have only 29.5 squads to 21.5 to 24.5 Germans. [And then the Germans took an attack chit for the 21AM scenario and declared themselves fanatical.]
During refit, I shifted most of my infantry strength into my II13 setup area, half my mortars shifted into Monceau and a couple of squads went to my OO12 setup area. I left my setup area west of Cheneux (in the L10 to M8 to M2 area) relatively lightly manned since reinforcements could get there in two to three turns while they would take four or five turns entering from the southern entry arrow. Again the American is hurt by not having any transportation (e.g., armored halftracks) that can bring his units up faster than on foot.
For my purchases, I took 5 paratrooper platoons with one setting up on-map, 100mm OBA with a phone, and 80mm OBA with a radio. I only had 58 CPP, which was average, so I could not afford any FPP. Perhaps, I should have taken two modules of 80mm and one CPP of fortifications. On my platoon infantry rolls, I rolled a 10-3 leader for the on-map platoon (huge bonus) followed by a leaderless platoon (boxcars), a 6+1, 8-0 and 7-0 leaders.
The Germans took an SS platoon, 120mm OBA with a PR hex (M8), the 105mm ART section and 3 CPP of fortifications with his 28 CPP. He used dummy counters to make it appear that he had taken an SS PzGr platoon on-map.
With a dual assault, the Germans lost the dr and setup first, which was very lucky for me. Since the German did not know how much I shifted to the east end of the map, I could at least surprise him that way. My 80mm observer went in HH18 HIP. I placed my 100mm observer in an existing foxhole in S22 to avoid the inherent firepower of the kill stack in S10. I could not HIP this observer since there was only one concealment terrain hex that would give me the LOS I needed. Once a SR landed, that hex would be hammered from S10. Therefore, not only would my observer not be HIP, it would not be concealed either. This led to placing him 12 hexes away from S10. I also was thinking heavy mist was +1 DRM per 4 hexes. It is +1 per 3 hexes, which would later make a huge difference.
West of Cheneux, I setup a firegroup to begin hammering on P9 and the supporting units around it. Mortars would drop WP on the Panther in R8 and other forward units. I had a mortar in R18 to drop WP around S10 to protect my observer. Since I did not know who would fire first I was conservative near the bridge. My forces were in woods and I was very afraid of OBA supporting the Germans in this area. I knew a Panther was in hex MM7 guarding the bridge. I had shifted a HS with a captured PSK into this setup area to help deal with it. I also placed my 10-3 leader and a MMG squad here. I considered taking a PSK shot directed by the 10-3 leader on his first fire phase attack. I reconsidered since I felt I could not afford to lose my only PSK on a low odds attack (6 or so to hit). Thus, my first turn attacks would be fairly limited in this area, because of not knowing who would fire first.
In hindsight, I should have started with a 10-3 led kill stack in either the OO12 or II13 setup areas. I took too long to get even two MMG squads stacked with him, which gave the Germans ample time to shift east. (GG9 had a concealment counter + 6 counters under it. I expected a leader, HMG squad, MMG squad and possibly a radio in there. This would be a tough stack to whittle down even with a 10-3 leader and +5 LOS hinderance/TEMs.)
I won the first move dr, so the German ploy was not as effective as he had hoped. (Steve hoped I would have to setup first, but at least that he would not lose both drs.) I entered two platoons on the west arrow and two on the southern arrow (including the leaderless platoon). I advanced adjacent to MM8, but the German units pulled back during their turn rather than trade shots at this point.
My 100mm OBA got a spotting round place within his LOS, but my 80mm OBA drew a red chit. More of my forces maneuvered to setup for a multihex firegroup against the DD13 to FF11 buildings. On the first player turn not much happened. However, the course of the campaign would be solidified during the following rally phase. Steve rolled boxcars on the mist DR. Back up to very heavy mist! Now Cheneux is out of LOS from my observer with a field phone. My 100mm OBA became worthless on one DR. I had intended for it to hammer S10 and the Panther in R8. It could keep the hex, Q10, from being reinforced and it would be able to drive the Germans back into Cheneux proper (the V8 area.) The German defense had setup stronger in this area than I realized, so the OBA was vital to my western attack. Later I would find the German OBA observer was in T8 and a 105mm ART gun in U8. These might have been hit by roving OBA before they did any damage.
On turn 2 I moved forward to keep any Germans from reinforcing the bridge area (only a Panther and a squad with a LMG and a leader started there). I had tried to drop WP on MM7, but that mortar ran had none. I advanced my concealed 8-1 leader and PSK HS into MM8 to take out the Panther the next turn. My 10-3 and MMG squad moved into LL9 while another squad with a BAZ moved into LL8. During the German turn #2, his Panther fired its MGs and had no effect on my concealed leader and HS. Its MA did hit. The leader passed his MC, but the HS broke. My LL8 BAZ squad had advanced into crest status, so it took the frontal shot against the Panther and rolled snakeyes. One burning Panther later, I felt reasonably good about this end of the map. The 80mm OBA had drawn a black chit and when I converted it, it drifted more on me than on the Germans. The problem was my observer had very few hexes that he could see the base level of. GG9 would have been a target, but I was nervous of it drifting out of my LOS or hitting my units pushing across the stream. Eventually, the OBA did break up the Germans defending the EE13 to FF11 area, but not as quickly as I needed. The concealed stack of SS in MM7 pulled back into MM6 and another SS squad with a LMG worked into MM7. By turn #3, I finally got my 10-3 with 2 MMG squads into JJ9. The first German shot at them, an 8+3 attack, pinned the leader and broke one squad. The squad rolled boxcars the next RPh, so instead of having a 20 + 2 shot against GG9, I only had an 8 + 2 shot. As I tried to use the 10-3 stack to help out both my MM8 area attacks and my GG9 attacks, I did not effectively influence either one. Eventually, I got another squad into the hex and rallied the HS to get back to a 20FP attack against Germans within four hexes, but I had difficulty stripping concealment from the MM6 units (which reduced to a 4 +1 shot).
At one point I had 15 squads in the Monceau to GG9 to MM8 area against only 8 or so German squads. Even when I took 30FP and 36FP shots at GG9, I still had a +5 DRM which helped the German safely stay there. 2MCs were no problem for these 9 morale troops. When I tried to move forward to get into close combat, the only path to do so is through GG10. A PBF 16FP or more attack would place enough residual firepower that even a unit assault moving would face an 8FP or 12FP -1 DRM attack, which my troops rarely passed. If they did, then the German final fired to break them. The one time I did get into CC with the German squad with MMG and hero, my squad had to go CX to move uphill into a building. It was easily ambushed and eliminated.
To the west my reinforcements came up and were in position to start becoming effective. I advanced a squad into P9 only to find a 12FP minefield and some dummies in there. My squad broke as usual. Then on the second German player turn, he calls in 120mm harrassing fire. It drifts and catches many of my squads in the open or in woods. I lose an 8-0 leader to a K/2 result, another hex with two squads soaks up a KIA. Overall, my attackers are brutalized and out of action for a turn or more. A German squad moves up to force my broken squad in P9 to rout into the FFE and out of a minefield. I had walked right into the German's trap. It was little concilation that my 81mm mortar found the HIP German observer in T8 with WP on a roll of snakeyes. [We had a minor rules discussion about whether a gun firing at a location with a HIP unit in it must include the +2 DRM for concealed or not. If included my WP shot would have a +7 DRM to it, so it would not be critical (I rolled a 3 on the subsequent dr). I had always thought the +2 DRM only applied to fire versus concealed units, not HIP.]
For the rest of the game I could not put much pressure on the P9 area. At one point my 6+1 led platoon to the north tried to swing in behind the Germans who were counterattacking towards L10. I hoped to force them to fall back to protect locations such as S10 and V8. But even a crew with a LMG broke my 6+1 leader and a MMG squad with him on a 2FP + 1 shot. That lone HS and another squad sealed off this attempt to pick up some central LVP hexes.
As the game wound down, my 80mm OBA observer broke his radio and later eliminated it on a 6 repair dr. My 10-3 stack was finally able to strip concealment on the MM6 stack. I got WP in MM7 and had a squad and 8-1 leader ready to go into MM7 in the advance phase. The German firegroups MM7 and MM6 for a 24FP + 6 shot and breaks the squad. Later the squad rallies and helps break one of the German squad (the leader self-breaks to avoid CC and the 10-3 stack breaks the other. However, by the time I rush for the bridge one of the German squads and its leader have rallied in the LL6 stream. My 10-3 stack has the 10-3 and one squad survive the PBF from LL6 and go on and capture the bridge. I assault moved the 8-1 and squad into MM7 and advanced into LL6 to try and tie up / eliminate the Germans there.
This scenario ended up going into the 8th turn, which is way more than I expected. I had played to take GG9 or another LVP hex by turn 7. Everything would be moot if I failed to take the bridge, but on turn #7 I captured it. I had tried to push across the stream in the CC12 area to pressure the AA10 location and to draw German defenders from reinforcing GG9. By this time I had made rushes at GG9 during turns 6 and 7 trying to capture the last LVP hex I needed for a campaign win. But the Germans just had too much PBF for my squads to get through.
For the entire campaign, I only won one melee against a full squad and two against HSs. Other than that, the only Germans I eliminated in CC were broken. I even had a 3:1 odds attack that only killed the German on another boxcars because I had a -5 DRM (ambush and withdrawl: the HS dropped its concealment after the ambush dr to DM the broken crew and force it to withdraw.)
The main factor in my losing this campaign was Herr Zundel's excellent usage of his resources. He forced me to come to him where he had significant TEM advantages, firepower and rate-of-fire weapons. Having my 100mm OBA placed too far back and breaking my 80mm OBA radio during the DFPh before I was going to move that observer forward were events that I just could not overcome. Ironically, the German may well have won because he rolled boxcars on the mist DR.
Had the mist decreased then my large firegroups may have been more effective against his stone bound defenders. However, I would have then faced FFMO penalties when moving forward. While some of my mortars kept WP for the entire scenario enough of the critical ones lost WP early or at critical times. I tried to place WP in GG9 with a BAZ on turn #3 and rolled boxcars.
All in all, I enjoyed KGP II, but I found it very frustrating that the American just does not have the tools in either CPP or RGs to overcome making any mistakes. While the German does not feel he can adequately defend his perimeter, he has the RGs available to do so. The American really could use some HMGs and .50cal HMGs to help pry the Germans out of the stone buildings. Even if the American had enough CPP for the 21PM scenario to buy a platoon or two or some OBA might help him have an even chance to win the campaign.
The first American key to the campaign is capturing to L10 or more on the first day along with having some jump off points to outflank the Germans for the 20N scenario. The L10 to P9 LVP locations are critical for the German to hold because of the limited approaches to them. Mines in P10 and Q11 were very helpful (to the German) for forcing any attack either to approach from the open ground side or to clear the minefields first in the face of PBF. The second American key is to capture Monceau and gain a lodgement in the FF12 building area and/or the woods between it, Monceau and the Cheneux bridge during the night.
The American must force the German player to defend a wide front. The German has the interior lines so he can shift from one end of Cheneux to the other in two MPh's. His Panthers can do so even quicker. With the mist DRMs, I never was able to restrict the German rout paths enough to eliminate or capture them after they broke.
For the German player, the Panthers were the ideal armor buy. By keeping them back to take MG and MA shots and protecting them with nearby infantry, they were generally untouchable. Buy at least one SS MG platoon gives the German plenty of ROF firepower and firelanes. Purchase enough FPP per day to place the maximum amount of AP mines to keep the American out of +TEM and rally terrain. Even if the American knows they are there, he cannot afford to force them if defenders are adjacent on the other side. SS Infantry, not halftracks, are the most valuable commodity for the German. With stone buildings and the favorable terrain, the infantry will find plenty of PBF shots available. The vehicles are very vulnerable to OBA and bombardment, so many CPP could be quickly lost without producing any positive results.
Lastly, force the American to come to you. When your position becomes untenable, then fall back to avoid CC by self-breaking if necessary. Use concealment to your advantage and shuffle units when you can. Firelanes are unaffected by the mist, so place the HMGs and MMGs with care. This is particularly helpful on the initial scenario.
What Would I Do Differently If I Played KGP II Again?
Chuck