ASL J34 MEN OF THE MOUNTAINS

For our next contest, Big Kansas and I selected ASL J34, Men of the Mountains. This one board scenario pits Montengrin Partisans against Italians. The Partisans win immediately by destroying the Italian 75 Artillery Piece. 

I drew the Italians and set about constructing a defense.

 One of the great challenges of playing ASL is creating a defense that works. You check fields of fire and try to create a defense that can't be easily flanked or overwhelmed. I attempted that with my Italians but was somewhat limited by SSR which forced my Italians to start in building hexes.

The primary objective of the scenario was my 75 ARTY Piece.  I placed it in the center of the village next to its crew who by SSR had to be set up away from it.  I placed it in the center with the idea that as my defense fell back it would ring the gun and once manned the gun, could act as fire support center for the defense. It worked in my head...

 

Defend the gun...how hard could that be?  Easy right???

After all...I've got some Lax Italian 3-4-6's guarding the guns, what could possibly go wrong....

The SSR's gave me the opportunity to deploy some of the Italians. I'm sure the scenario designer had a reason for this, but I elected not to take advantage of that opportunity. Instead, I placed three 3-4-6's out front to slow down the Partisan advance from the South. Hindsight is always 20/20, and if I were to play again as the Italians, I would put half-squads here and keep more troops back where they could support the gun.

Those of you who read my blog AAR's on a regular basis know that I tend to roll poorly in critical situations. But as the Partisans boldly advanced towards my Italians...the Dice Gods chose to smile on me. My troops survived unscathed from the first Partisan kill stack shot and then managed to DM three Partisan squads. Despite these successes, the Partisans still managed to roll through the west flank.

Great job fellas...

Prego Prego!!!

Knowing when to fall back is a skill I possess in limited quantities. I should have rolled back on my first movement phase. Instead...I left my three 3-4-6's out front to try and stop the remaining Partisans. It would result in the deaths of two of them.

The battle quickly shifted to the backside of Hill 522. Again, my Italians gave a good accounting of themselves and DM'd a few Partisans. 1-1/2 squads of Partisans would be taken prisoner as well.

On the west edge, the crack of a Partisan sniper rifle would KIA my 7-0 and DM the 3-4-6 with them. They had been preparing to CX over to the church and get up on the 1st floor to await the arrival of the Partisan reinforcements. Just like that...the Sniper once again hurt me bad...

You break my heart (and my squads) Sniper Chick...

Other than the Sniper fiasco, things seemed to be looking good for the Italians going into Turn 3.

 

But...maybe in an 8 Turn Game...you don't want to start playing your mandolin quite yet...

In the North, the Partisan reinforcements were preparing to dash into the battle.

 

These boys would be a problem for my Italians...

The 8-1 leading these 30 Partisans was a no nonsense dude and quickly got his men into position.

And he ain't carrying a Mandolin...

By Turn 4, things were on shaky ground for my Italians. I had given the Partisans a bloody nose, but it hadn't stopped them. The flanking effort on the west edge had been a success, while the two Partisan squads on the east edge had encountered more Italian resistance.

I was beginning to worry...

Big Kansas launched his Partisans from all directions. My boys in the church couldn't get a good shot and would be DM'd, ELR'd, and disrupted...in other words...done for the game.

My Italians tried to counter with their little MG Tank, but the Partisans kept trying to kill it with LMG's and got frighteningly close on two rolls.

In the center, my 75 Arty made some big boom and let the Partisans know it could hurt them.

Overall, I was pretty happy with my 75 Arty. It would inflict some damage on the Partisans and while engaging in two instances of intensive fire would not break....thanks boys!

By Turn 5, the Partisans were in the drivers seat and ready to open a big can of WHOOP ASS on my boys.

The Partisan 9-1 with a DEMO Charge decided to rush into the U6 Melee and basically blow up friend and foe alike.

 

Kind of a no nonsense guy....

My little Espresso Maker also came under attack as the Partisans swarmed it. Somehow it managed to survive, but broke the BMG...however, it could still move...Espresso anyone!?!

So this crazy 9-1 runs into the melee...drops a DEMO Charge and exits the building...

That's one way to end a Melee...

My 8-1 officer was wounded and everyone else was DM'd and forced to flee...Partisan and Italians alike.

My Espresso maker made a final move to try and give my 75 Arty some protection as my other boys tried to reach the gun before the Partisans.

My 8-1 on the west edge successfully dashed across the open and moved into position to support the gun.

My boys were determined to go down fighting...

The Partisans on the west edge managed to create a Hero...but a short time later, he would fall under a hail of Italian lead.

The situation as Turn 6 loomed and the final chapter in the saga of Captain Corelli's 75 Arty.

My 75 Arty resisted to the best of its ability, but the Partisans kept coming...

Once again my Espresso maker found itself in Melee as the remainder of the Partisans jumped into close combat with my 75 Arty Crew.

The combat was short and brutal as my brave crew fell under the bayonets of the surging Partisans.

Berserk squads on both sides were a common occurrence throughout the scenario.

Game end...the Partisans destroy the gun in defensive fire and secure the village...as the Italians prepare to flee or face certain massacre...

Molto Bene!!! Another great game of ASL!!!