Norway, 1940
About 13 French Foreign Legion squad equivalents supported by 2 tanks have to cross board 18 (low hills and a gully) to attack a Norwegian armory (in the board 22 village) currently held by a about 4 squads of German Paras with machine guns, a light mortar, and an ATR in 10 turns. To win, the French must occupy the armory at a time when there are no unbroken German MMC in the armory. Ground snow slows the French approach, but has little other effect.
The cunning French plan:
While there is cover to be had between the board 18 entry and the armory, there is a lot of empty space between here and there, and some German MGs. With their wimpy guns and wimpy MGs, the best use of my tanks seems to be portable cover. Six squads, with my best leaders and most of my MGs will armored assault with the tanks, up the east side of board 18, to the gully near the armory. They will then setup up a firebase to (hopefully) suppress fire from the village. My 8-0 leader and 3 squads will approach the village up the west side of board 18. There is some cover there. Four half squads will go up the center of board 18. The light mortar will move as quickly as possible to a position behind the stone wall on the right side of board 18, and provide covering fire.
All Germans that set up in concealment terrain start HIP, no more than one MMC per building, so there is not much to see initially. One group sets up concealed behind the armory, presumably the light mortar and its crew. The Germans receive 4 squads with an LMG and a DC as reinforcement on turn 4.
French Turn 1:
The French advance slowly, do to an SSR allowing them
only half movement on the initial turn. There is no German fire, presumably due
to the range.
German Turn 1:
Several German groups appear under concealment markers,
and move into the armory. I am a bit suprised by this, I think I would have
preferred to have kept them for surprises were I the German. On the other hand,
there are few good firelanes from the village to the open ground the French have
to cross, except from the second story of the armory.
French Turn 2:
The French advance continues. By the end of the turn, the
armored assault troops have arrived in the gully, the light mortar is in
position and reassembled. German indirect mortar fire is ineffective.
German Turn 2:
German Prep Fire from the MMG and the mortar ineffective.
The reinforcing German groups move to forward positions on the second level of
the armory. The French mortar takes aim at the MMG group, and suprises everyone
with a potent hit and ROF. The German leader throws snakes for his MC, invoking
HOB and the French sniper. The French sniper breaks a squad with an LMG in the
2nd story of the Armory. The HOB leader rolls Berserk, and takes the MMG squad
with him. With this, 2 of the 3 groups in the Armory in position to fire on the
approaching French are effectively out of the fight for some time. The French,
in their excitement to press their advantage, shove the next round in the mortar
sidewise and malf it. Next rally phase they manage to destroy it. But on the
whole things are looking pretty good for the French.
French Turn 3:
Break out the CX counters, the French are coming! With
most of the German MGs known to be effectively out of the action, the French
throw caution to the wind and run toward the armory. We can't keep the German
reinforcements from arriving, but we will do our best to make sure the don't
easily enter the armory. Some of the French closest to the armory (from the
gully) take up flanking positions, to welcome the reinforcements. The French
would like to approach the armory, but those berserkers ARE coming, and I want
to have some open ground for them to cross on the way to CC me. The western
force is now approaching the edge of the village as well. One AFV moves to
threaten the mortar on the west side of the armory, the other AFV moves to
prevent reinforcements entering the east side of the armory.
German Turn 3:
Prep fire reveals that the one remaining concealed stack
in the armory is an HS with the ATR. The ATR fails to immobilize the west side
tank. The berserk squad that once manned the MMG races back to the stairwell,
and down. Most fire is ineffective.
French Turn 4:
The previously broken German LMG squad ralllies in the
back of the armory. The French occupy a building to the east of the armory to
block reinforcements. (I belatedly realized this would earmark them for
attention from the berserkers, drawing them away from the defensive firelanes I
had prepared. Oops.) The western forces also draw closer to the armory.
Defensive fire from the ATR again fails to affect the western AFV, but advancing
fire breaks the ATR HS. Very little know remains to defend the armory, and the
French are at the door. This is looking like an easy French victory.
Remaing turns flow together in the heat of things :)
The reinforcing Germans arrive, primarily west of the armory. A thrown DC trashes a French tank, and breaks some of the German reinforcements. French defensive fire breaks the remainder. The previously broken German LMG squad returns to the front of the armory. They HOB under heavy French fire. The French are cheering for yet another berserk, hoping to get more defenders out of the building. The French roll a hero and Battle Hardening, resulting in fanatics. These fanatics play a key role the remainder of the game. After being broken once, and self rallying, no amount of French fire will affect them. They break French units approaching the armory (by now wielding the MMG and an LMG), break French units in the building attempt to engage them in CC, and are a general pain in the touche. French fire eventually breaks the mortar crew.
French Turn Ten:
Two German squads STILL remain in the armory, the
fanatics and a reinforcing squad that managed to rout into the armory and self
rally. I manage to get a HS into CC with his regular squad, and some firepower
next to him, intending to fix his wagon in the next turns fire. Oddly enough, my
HS takes this squad. I manage to get one squad into CC with his fanatics, who
are pinned, but the CC is inconclusive.
German Turn Ten:
The odds of my destroying the fanatics in CC are not
good. The French turn to desperate measures, and begin pouring prep fire into
the CC hex. With each attack the French squad degenerates, and the fanatics
brush off the fire. Not what the French had in mind. On about the fourth fire
attack, the French squad is history, and the Germans are still there. Not good.
The remaining attacks are weaker and weaker. On about the last possible fire
attack, the German squad breaks and the French win.
I can see why this scenario is ranked very even in the ASL record!
Mark