KGP II 20 PM Scenario:
American (Jeff DeBraal, Dutch Expatriot) Purchases:
German (Sonny Hays-Eberts, Truly Teutonic) Purchases:
In addition, we are using the personal leaders from the '95 Annual.
The SS boys placed a few outposts on the hill (G7 and I5), but the main defensive anchors were placed in the woods flanking the Ami entrance area, especially around Brutet's House. In the northern woods a few squads lined the woods in foxholes (L1, M2) and several large dummy stacks were placed to give the appearance of strength. The bulk of the SS set up shop in and around Brutet's House. A large number of AA vehicles hunkered down behind the front lines, ready to drive back to safety, but aiming behind them just in case the paratroopers broke through the weak center of the line.
The paratroopers held thier mortars back as OBA, and entered in main groups, each making for the woods. A few squads crept down the hill to assault the forward Jerry positions.
Lights, Cameras, Action
The forward positions on the hill slowed down the Ami advance by breaking a few squads, but enough survived to push forward, so eventually the SS squads up front VBed and routed back. I had good luck with waiting till the Ami's were pointblank, firing, then breaking and routing back to avoid close combat. More often than not a self-broken unit would come back next rally phase and form the second line of defense behind the squad which backed it up. Gotta love that 9 broken morale. With a -1 leader + woods/building, that's a 50% rally chance when DMed.
With the Jerries run off the hill, the rest of that american group was able to work down into the northern woods and secure a toehold there as the scenario ended.
Forces in the woods south of the entrance area found the going slow. A HIP 658, LMG (H12) controlled progress along the woods road, and when they ducked off the path to try and surround the SS, they tripped the first minefield (H11). It wasn't enough to prevent the SS squad from getting captured, but a wounded 8-1 was a good exchange.
The Climax
A small group of paratroopers set off towards the 21 AM entry area and dug a few foxholes in L15 and G23? to extend the Ami setup area, but most of the forces headed for Brutet's. A subsequent 6 AP minefield in K10 limited the directions they could attack from. The King Tiger in N10 was hidden from much of the fighting, but as units entered K9,L8,L9,M9,M10 they came into it's sights, and the N hexrow is the closest a reserve unit can set up on the first scenario. Amazingly ineffective, as exemplified by it's critical hit which turned out to be a dud. Eventually a melee formed in the house, but since the Jerries had to go CX to advance up the crest into the house, the Americans developed an edge. So instead i used a 658+HMG, 658+LMG behind the house in M11 to soak the 2 american squads/leader and my poor remaining 348 HS with 44(+4) (pointblank). Meanwhile the Amis had set up two stacks of 2 747, 2 MMG and a 10-2 each three hexes out, allowing them to return the same firepower. Each side took turns cleaning the building out and hoping the game would end on the Game End dr. On what turned out to be the final turn, I wounded one of the 10-2's who had moved up into the ongoing melee, and broke all three squads in the building (rolled a 3(+4) = K/4, Random Selection took both the leader and the hero, both wounded), leaving only a wounded hero to contest my entrance into the house. The hero couldn't stop the CXed 9-1 and 658 who came up the hill into the house in CC. Good thing it ended there, or I'd have eaten hot molten lead in the next Prep Fire Phase. I couldn't play that game much longer had the scenario continued.
Denoument:
Since the game ended there, five American squads and two leaders had to escape. a full squad bit it in the process. All wounded leaders on both sides died or were med-evaced. The Germans lost a heroic wounded 10-2 (began as a 9-2), while the Amis lost a 10-2, 8-1 and 8-0). The most telling comment was when I mentioned to Jeff that his sniper seemed to be the most effective attacking piece of the day (the Amis seemed to roll about 8-10 on the attack and made about 15% of their moral checks), His comment - 'Well, my sniper number is a 2, so if he's making lot's of succesful attacks, what does that say?' Lot's of eyes for the SS! A truck and unarmored ht are now clogging the streets as holes got punched in the radiators by sniperfire. I also lost a reserve 7/1 to a OBA attack. Bummer to see that 20 IFE puppy go down without a shot.
Germans caused 9 CVP
Americans caused 14 CVP
Germans lost 4 squads (2 captured) and a SdKfz 7/1
Americans lost 4.5
squads and a BAZ was lost to the Germans.
The American personal leader broke once, played medic and ended up around +3 or so. The German personal leader rallied a few folks, but directed a lot of the telling 44(+4) attacks, so he ended up +15, so please welcome Sgt. E. Moltke!
Comments:
The American player needs to concentrate on creating a decent setup area. With luck, some German foxholes can help, but the choosing of objective hexes seems to be key. Since neither of us played a KGP CG before, we were both conservative in our choices, and we both have two setup areas. The Americans in the south woods are limited to three 747 squads and two of the 3 remaining American leaders. It would have been nice for them to be able to get more forces over there without risking the Shift process. Meanwhile Monceau is looking pretty barren from my POV. We also missed CG7, and the captured SPW 251/9 should not have entered on turn 5... oh well. Given the Heavy Mist (it never changed in scenario 1) the American can afford to move on Brutet's House quicker than the pace in our game.
In my case, the American has gone infantry mad, and given the 7-6 strength advantage they possess, I'm doing the same as the current CGIII AAR and avoiding close combat. Not sure if the purchase of the VIB's was worth it, but I've been salivating over a chance to push around anything with 26 armor factors. :)
KGP II 20 N Scenario:
American (Jeff 'The dice hate me' DeBraal) Purchases:
German (Sonny 'the Snake-eyes' Hays-Eberts) Purchases:
It turned out to be a Dual Night Attack, as expected, so we setup simultaneously. Using the two Pltns purchased for onmap setup combined with 15 squad/foxholes, the SS was able to set up in the standard company line formation. The woods to the north and south each held a MMG,HMG, and nestled snugly nearby each woods was a King Tiger. The remaning trucks and halftracks set up 1 hex back (NVR was only 1 hex at scenario commencment). With all my boys in foxholes, save one squad+HMG+9-1 leader in a building, I felt good about my chances to ride out the bombardment I expected to see. The mines protected the front of LVP house (Gaspard's) (the two 6's) and the 8 went into R1. Any skulking through the north woods was going to eat a lot of IFT attacks in one form or another. The lone 7/1 was also supporting the north flank.
Meanwhile the Americans made one fatal flaw in setting up. The forces restricted to setting up in Setup area B (in/near the north woods) placed a 9-2, 747, BAZ up front near the front lines. Apparently the Ami's expected the north flank to be lightly guarded, but these poor fellows started ADJACENT to a King Tiger, Fanatic 658 with a MMG in a foxhole, and a second entrenched 658. My first recon target,it would allow me to send up all the starshells i'd need.
Brutet's house was unguarded. It was in a salient, and I imagined any forces I could set up there would just end up in a meatgrinder. Hopefully my propensity to take my full allotment of mines (30 FPP per day) would be enough to slow him down.... As a German player, i can't recommend buying enough mines!
Lights, Cameras, Action:
The bombardment I expected didn't show; I expect now Jeff is waiting to use it when I have to set up in Cheneux and can then trap squads in rubble.
The Americans won the initiative die roll, which was ok by me. I chose attack to be able to defend freely, not to truly attack. Things started rough for the Ami's as the 9-2 and 747 shattered. Jeff's personal leader and his two squads found the 8 factor minefield right off, then ate a 44(+1) attack from the 8-1, 658+LMG, 658+HMG in the woods fringe. Only a the wounded leader remained. Meanwhile he spent time searching all around Brutet's before entering. By the end of the first player turn the Americans had suffered 3.5 dead squads and two wounded leaders to not a single broken German unit.
By turn four, things hadn't changed much; the carnage continued. 7.5 dead American squads, 2 dead leaders, a further 3 wounded. The Germans meanwhile have only 1.5 deceased squads, but the only bad part is the three dead leaders, including my 9-1. The Americans have taken 2 LVP, but at this rate it will be a phyrric victory. A later entering Pltn is threatening Monceau, with only a SdKfz 10/4 and 6/2 to guard it.
The most telling example of the slaughter is as follows. Having tied down most of my units in the south in Melee, Jeff moves a 747 through the lone gap between the Melees. A 658 with a LMG breaks him. A 10-2 with two fanatic 747 squads + MMG each moves up, takes the resid and laughs. The only remaining unit that can shoot w/o FPF (which isn't bad with SS, but I still hesitate) is a lone HS at pointblank. A weenie 6(+2) attack. Sure enough, they all break, including a '12' for one squad. In the CCPh, He can't capitalize on a 2-1, while my 1-2 attack kills a leader and a 747. After four attempts, no ambushes, and despite having the odds in his favor, Jeff has lost three of four Melees. But, mananged to take Gaspard's house.
I've got no real numbers to back it up, but my average roll seems to be about a five, to his nine. Not a single American squad has passed a morale check, except when already broken. Furthermore, the average life expectancy of an American hero seems to be just over one player turn....
The Climax:
We resumed play the following night (I didn't want my dice to cool off too much ;) ). I knew they hadn't when my weather/night vis/interrogation roll was snake eyes but a boxcars followed for the mist roll....
The NVR shot up to 2 for one player turn, then dropped back to 1, then to 0. That would turn out to be crucial for the BU PzKw VIB later.... Also, my squads must have fired off the entire supply of starshells in the first half, becuase i found it very tough to get them in this second half. Combine that with 0 NVR, and suddenly Jeff wasn't as discouraged as he had been. My earlier fears of getting isolated, which had subsided when looking at the American body count suddenly started getting active again.
The early entry squad took Monceau unopposed. A lone Flak 2cm truck tried to shift out at game end, but couldn't. Not much action in what we called setup area B.
At this point the game devolved into a bitter struggle for The Delvenne farm. The American reinforcements were getting to the front lines, so the large number of losses I'd inflicted suddenly didn't seem to matter. And when my luck went from stunningly good to simply average, I found about five or six broken SS squads in the area. The night prohibited me from being eliminated for Failure to Rout, but as I've learned 'The Game' from Jeff, he's always, always stressed that ASL is a game of movement, not firepower. Sure enough, he began to move Half squads into the area so that no matter where the brokies went, somebody could still advance onto them in close combat. Since I was restricted to Low Crawl at night, I couldn't get away quickly enough. Suddenly, despite the large number of CVP I'd inflicted, I found myself wishing for the game to end. None of my free MMC rallies worked, my SW were breaking left and right, and finally Jeff got a '1' on a PF check instead of the usual '6' he had been subjected to earlier. *BOOM* scratch the King Tiger in T9. Mercifully, as Jeff advanced into a ring around the Delvenne Farm, I uttered the magick words - 'Roll the '2''. Sure enough, he did, and the game ended on it's first opportunity. Good thing, because I was down to a lone 658 MMG and a 348 HS w/ PSK as the only unbroken infantry within five hexes of the American wave.
Denoument:
Germans caused 22 CVP and control 10 LVP
Americans caused 23 CVP and
control 4 LVP
Germans lost 4 squads and 3 leaders (9-1, 8-1, 8-1), LMG and HMG and PzKw
VIB.
Americans lost 10 squads, 4 leaders (9-2,8-0,8-0,7-0), BAZ and MMG.
The American personal leader was KIA when trying to leave a minefield. The German personal leader would have made 1st Sgt, but broke near Delvanne's Farm in the last turn and ended up +9.
Comments:
The biggest lesson - the American player should not set up adjacent to the German setup area. No sense giving him the ability to cut loose with starshells so easily. Otherwise i don't know if night is an advantage to the Ami's. They've got to close, since the night and mist make long range shots just about worthless. But stick the SS in OG (no ambush) foxholes. amd they can deal out vicious pointblank attacks and still get the +2 TEM vs any return assault fire.
Given the American tendency to break so easily under fire, and it's very tough. Of course, in all honesty, my dice have been about ready to melt, while Jeff's have been emulating dry ice. While it may be poor form (but standard practice) to blame losing on the dice, in this case I can certainly peg my good fortune on them.
I took two major risks - one was putting all my eggs into my company line. The results are mixed. It cost me Monceau. Even a reserve platoon there could have been enough to keep it. However, the American player was counting on moving to the T/U/V hexrows. Instead he finds himself still back around P. Q and R are pretty much No-Man's land. The other was using my leaders to direct fire. That really cost me, but I figured as often as my troops cower (I did roll a lot of eyes and fours) it would be wrth it. Hard to say - the Americans got hurt badly, but so is my depleted leadership corps. The other item to consider is placement of foxholes - as strategic locations, they're useful, and it's nice to have a bunch set up to fall back into, but beware of where they'll create No-Man's land areas if they fall to the Ami. Both of us had to escape a lot of troops this game.
By the strict victory conditions, it was an American win. In the context of the campaign game, more like a draw. The loss of the King Tiger hurts, but I've not found them to be very effective. In retrospect a SS MG platoon would be a far better purchase, but i was awed by the 88LL and 26 Armor Factors.
The Americans have now tossed an entire Battalion of paratroopers into the fray, and only a company plus a platoon survive. *However* they're getting a base 65 CPP next date and can toss a full five platoons of reserves into the fray. It seems no matter how many I KIA, even more appear. My poor guys are having Eastern Front flashbacks... :)
And, of course, Ammo Shortage is now in effect. Ouch.
KGP II 21 AM Scenario:
American (Jeff 'Mr. Hero' DeBraal) Purchases:
German (Sonny '3 and out' Hays-Eberts) Purchases
Unlike the last scenario, I find myself now forced to defend to both the west and the south. Jeff's late game capture of Monceau, combined with the ability of the Ami's to now enter on the south edge will no longer allow me to defend only westward. I realize now how much the loss of Monceau hurts. My entire southern flank is threatened.
With the ability to purchase only a further 3 SS Inf Pltn, I've decided to purchase one today in reserve and spend the bulk of the rest of my points on an onmap SS MG Sect. I fervently hope the ROF comes through. I'm very tempted to purchase OBA, but the extra red chit for scarce ammo means a 1 in 3 of pulling a red one. Instead I'll hoarde the last 5 CPP. So even if I roll boxcars on the next CPP DR, I'll have a minimum of 18 CPP - 2 SS Inf Pltn at worst.
Meanwhile nobody sets up in a building. Maybe I'm a little paranoid about the bombardment, but I do expect to see it sometime. I'd rather take a 2MC in a foxhole (Base 9 Morale, +4 for foxhole) than than take the NMC of a stone building and risk outright elimination.
Hopefully my stiff defense of the northern woods will discourage Jeff from a mass assault in that area, so most of my dummies go there. A lone 658, LMG, 7-0 is all that bars the way.
The rest of the troops form a scattered company line across the U/V/W rows, while a second line faces south around the 11/12/13 hexrow. The mines go into V11 and HH13. Most of the squads will move from the starting foxholes to buildings, so they're simply close to where they want to go. A HMG, MMG stack sets up shop in T10, at the corner. From here it should be able to aid both the west and south facing lines.
The last thing I did before we started was to declare my fanaticism bonus. :)
Lights, Cameras, Action
Then it begins.....
The bombardment is murderous. It rubbles five or six buildings. Even worse, they're to my rear, so the roads are cut and my fallback paths have been dramatically altered as I can no longer Bypass along a rubbled narrow road hexside. Of course, since the damnable artillery frags all the vehicles in it's area, save a lone unarmored halftrack. Even my King Tiger falls to the God of War. Four or five squads break. My personal leader gets HOB and goes beserk, taking half the SS MG Sect with him. We haven't even started Turn 1 yet and I'm already having to take a personal 2MC.
Mercifully the haze clears and the game begins. Not a single squad of mine that broke was with a leader, so none can rally.
Then it's time to experience both batteries pre-registered hexes. 100mm WP and 60 mm OBA come whistling down. More breakage, and now the Amis can head out with a slew of hindrances. I'm just trying to fall back in some semblance of order. Jeff's placement of OBA doesn't make it easy. The isolated truck in Monceau which failed it's shift roll is flamed by a 'zook. The lone surviving 10/4 is waxed by small arms fire. 'Big Daddy' (to barrow Dade's terminology), a 10-2 directed killer stack is chewing me up, even in stone buildings. Skulking being the better part of valor, I try to simply reduce his number of fire opportunities. Might as well, because what little prep fire I muster is ineffectual, if it doesn't outright gack something. By the end of turn two I've gacked both the HMGs I paid heavily for and given away one MMG in the failed beserk charge. The only two positive notes are that I finally recalled the SPW 251/9 actually, in truth Jeff did by malfing the MA) and got my first German Hero of the CG. Otherwise it's a rout in progress.
The Climax
I continue to permanantly 'fix' my MGs with a 6 here and there. What doesn't malf breaks outright due to the Ammo shortage. The lone high spot is getting my first effective sniper attack in three games and recalling his TD. But by turn five I'm in so much trouble I have no choice but to concede the entire CG. I'm going to be holding on to 3 LVP at best, and I'm down to 6 squads, a HMG and MMG plus some LMGs. My lone Sdkfz 6/2 lurking back by the bridge rolled boxcars to hit the emerging American stack in the woods. Typisch. The most amazing thing though is that I've lost almost a company, plus all my vehicles (2xSdkfz 10/4, SdKfz 7/1, Pz VI-B, 2cm Flakwgn) save the one with no functioning MA. I'm not sure, but I'm willing to bet almost half my infantry casualties resulted from boxcars on MCs. Ok, that's not amazing in itself, but when compared to the American losses - nothing! Faced with Jeff occupying enough LVP to win and not nearly enough to dig him out, I conceded. Even with 2 new SS Pltns the following day, I could muster 12 squads max. To face match up with 24 dug in American squads just seemed overwhelming. In my three decades of playing games (of any kind), I can't recall getting whipped this badly. As Jeff said afterwards - 'I've had a couple of games like that and I nearly quit playing the game.' Discouraging given the success I felt I had the first two scenarios, but I'm not ready to toss in the towel on ASL yet. :). If I'd have had even moderate luck making my MCs (base 9, 10 broken with the bonus) I think I could have held him up enough in Cheneaux to at least force a fourth game, so I don't think the CG is as unbalanced as this last result indicates.
Denoument:
Germans caused 0 CVP and conceded; the scenario and the CG
Americans
caused 34 CVP and won both the scenario and CG
Germans lost 7 squads and 1 leader (8-0), 2xLMG, PSK, 2xMMG, 2xHMG PzKw
VIB, 2xSdkfz 10/4, Sdkfz 7/1, 2cm Flakwgn
Americans lost 2 BAZ.
The new American personal leader earned a few points for directing the 100 OBA The German personal leader started the game beserk and died shortly therafter in his beserk charge. RIP.
Comments:
OBA bites. But this is probably what it was like to really fight the Americans. I made one extremely major blunder. I took great pains to protect my infantry in the face of the oncoming bombardment, but forgot to consider the devastation it would inflict on my vehicles. The loss of the Tiger was a (big) surprise, but the unarmored ones should have been set up behind the bridge as a mobile reserve. That cost me dearly for this scenario.
In hindsight, the loss of Monceau may have cost me the CG more than anything. I'd recommend a Pltn and an OB vehicle or two be used to hold it. Otherwise the defense of Cheneaux becomes exeedingly difficult (or in my case, impossible). Any American player seeing it open should go for it. The German player should also consider using his objectives to link the Monceau - Cheneaux set up areas to avoid Shifting in/out.
Also - as a defender don't save your CPP. If you lose today, the points may not do you much good tomorrow. :)
Lastly - campaign games rule! This was my first one ever, and it's quite a radical change from the standard one shot scenario. The variability of the game length combined with the need to conserve your forces makes for (imnsho) a much more fascinating game with a sense of more realism. No more exact timetables for the attacker. No more last ditch, throw away everything to win the scenario type assaults. Highly, highly recommended. We'll either have to switch map sides and do this again or try Cemetary Hill for a subsequent CG.
Sonny Hays-Eberts