After a week off for the KC March Madness Tournament, Big Kansas and I were back to the bocage to play out Turns 3 and 4 of the 1230 Hours CG Turn (the 3rd of 5 CG Turns).
By the time we completed the bottom of Turn 4...the German defense was nearly annihilated. Turns 3 and 4 were two of the most completely humiliating and devastating ASL turns I have endured in recent memory.
Now...it's no secret that I don't win very often...but what happened on Turns 3 and 4 was not just a defeat...but an unrelenting ass whipping...that left me ready to concede the entire CG. (seriously....I was ready to throw in the towel.)
So after wrapping up and trying hard to be as gracious in defeat as possible...I took a long walk to clear my head and think about how best to blog about the beating I endured tonight.
So here goes...it won't be a long drawn out AAR tonight cause there's only so much you can blog about a first class smack down.
My Fallschirmjaeger anxiously awaited the US assault that would usher in the beginning of Turn 3.
Little did I know that the US Forces were under new management and looking to collect scalps...and business would be booming...
As we began Turn 3, the US forces had reached the gully feature behind which I had placed my main line of resistance. My forces were intact, relatively well positioned and I felt ready to receive the attack.
I nearly ran out of red ink detailing the American assaults on Turns 3 and 4. German units simply disappeared as the Americans stormed forward.
Yep...my Landsers would actually think this dude was LUCKY as the US attack unfolded...Now rather than walk slowly through the agony of Turns 3 and 4...we're just going to focus on the end shot for each sector of the battlefield and talk about what occurred.
On the east edge, my Stug sat for too long and was quickly in the sights of a US Bazooka Team. One shot...one kill...burning Stug. Meanwhile a bad Wind Change Die roll managed to TI the only squad I had ready to move towards the east. You know your night is going to suck hard...when you are afraid to roll for wind change.
Two more German squads also went into the bag on the east edge. At the end of Turn 4, the US forces are only 6 hexes away from a victory location crossroads.
A well placed shot took out the Stug, which contributed nothing to the German defense...
"Damn...that was our only AFV Hans..."
"Uh Fritz...I don't think that matters anymore..."
On the east edge...the US were in complete control as the Germans fell back.
A look at the battle in the center sector. The US forces were once again successful in moving up and into close combat with the Germans. The only notable German successes were a bogged Sherman that got hung up on wire and the wounded 9-2 US officer who would be killed by the German sniper.
The rest of the battle here was decidedly a US victory.
Yep...it was a bit like this...
We also had four close combats...and they didn't really end well for my boys...
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Ok...we're almost at the end...
On the west edge...the US forces managed to position themselves to turn my flank and busted my personal morale to the very bottom. Even my flamethrower would not only fail me, but hurt me. As the Americans moved through the woods, I fell back and then on Turn 3 stood and fought. My 8-3-8 managed only to pin the US 6-6-7 in front of him. But then my flamethrower hit the 6-6-7 with a flat 24 factor shot. A "3 check"...yeah that's going to hurt...right...nope SNAKE EYES...and then a battle hardening and hero creation.
My Germans were perplexed...nothing was going right...but my 8-3-8 didn't give up...they advanced into CC with the US Hero and pinned 6-6-7...the US got ambush...and rolled a 2...KIA...8-3-8 gone and a new US 8-1 created.
Not much else to say...the US ended Turn 4 with a total of 21 CVP to the German CV of 6. Turns 3 and 4 shattered the German line and Turn 5 should be an outstanding opportunity for the US to gain some major ground and perhaps even one or two of the 4 victory location crossroads.
My Germans will try to restore the line and make the best of a bad situation going into Turn 5.
Well...that's a wrap...tonight was pretty rough...
Here's hoping I can collect my...er dice and get back into the fight!!
Very harsh two turns, the American 6FP is a beast whilst the 6 Morale can really work for you IF you can roll well enough. That double failed attack with the 8-3-8 followed by death in the CC would have done for me
ReplyDeleteIan
They were, but that happens in ASL. The dice didn't give me anything and my opponent's moves did the rest. But these things really happened in the actual events. A good example are some of the shocking things that happened to the Germans at Ortona. At one point, the Canadians just waste everyone in one of the villages, knock out all the German armor and take a ton of prisoners...with relative ease. And you read that and think...good grief how bad were they rolling.
DeleteMy bigger concern is that I am not grasping how best to defend in bocage scenarios. It should be helping me,but I see it doing more for my opponent as he moves without losing concealment for much of the game, which renders my defense fairly ineffective. I keep looking for ways to put more open ground between me and the Americans, but that is a are commodity in this terrain.
I will hang in there and see what can be salvaged. After all, the real Germans had to do the same...they couldn't just tell OKW....we rolled bad...we're coming home. No, they had to sell their lives dearly. So look for at least one more CG Turn before Purple Heart Draw comes to an end.