After a two week drought of no ASL...I was blessed with a weekend double-header. My regular STL opponent was back in the saddle and ready to play on Friday evening and my good friend Dan Best was ready to rock and roll again on Saturday. I would get to play two awesome games!
Friday night's game would be a Starter Kit Scenario - ASL Scenario S1 Retaking Vierville (designed by John D. Johnson). This scenario has fast become one of the most played scenarios out there and is certainly the recommended scenario for introducing new players to the world of ASL. My STL opponent's work life has been pretty rough this year and so he needed an opportunity to play something relatively simple to get his mind back on ASL. 
ASL BABY!!!
We diced for sides and I ended up as the Americans and would be the scenario defender. My force would consist of 11-1/2 x 7-4-7's with a 9-2, 2 x 8-1, and an 8-0 providing the leadership. This scenario has no chrome. It's just a straight up infantry fight. And I couldn't have been happier to have 7-4-7's of the 101st Airborne. Life was going to be good!!
In general, I have had good luck when I have 7-4-7's. They are particularly good squads on the advance and can do some real damage in the Advancing Fire Phase.
My objective would be to prevent my opponent's Germans from controlling one of these 4 building locations: N5, N6, M4 and L3. Lose just one of these and my opponent would get the win.
As the attacker, my STL opponent would be commanding the German Grenadiers of the 1058th and 919th Regiments as well as elements of the 6th Fallschirmjaeger Regiment. My opponent would have 3 x 4-6-7's, 3 x 4-4-7's and 5 x 5-4-8's led by 2 x 9-1's, 8-1 and 7-0. Again no machine guns or anything else to lend weight to the attack. The Germans would have to rely on the attacking firepower of the Paras to take the stone buildings away from my Screaming Eagles.
The game begin! My Americans begin the scenario set up on the road in Vierville. The Germans enter from the east and west board edges.
I got off a lucky burst and managed to break a few of the Germans on the west board edge.
Slowing down the Germans on the west edge would prove very useful as the game progressed.
My Turn 1 reinforcements came in from the north edge.
The Germans seized the N6 building and had the victory if they could hold it. In the course of shooting at my adjacent Paras, I managed to create a hero. This Hero would be a decivisve contributor to success in the fight for the N6 and N5 and buildings.
My opponent continued to engage in Prep Fire as opposed to rushing my positions.
A key pin in the N6 building would prevent the Germans from getting into the M6 building and opening up the east edge.
I am a bit too well known for reckless play and this night would be no different as I sent a stack racing along the west edge led by my 8-0. Both squads would be broken. You could say lesson learned...but I'll probably do the same stupid thing in another game.
While my 8-0 group on the west took it on the chin, my boys in the center were successful in pushing into Vierville.
I jumped into close combat...that's why they have jump boots...right!?!
My boys would prevail and open up the relief effort for Vierville.
As my opponent tried to hang on to the N6 building, fate would deal him a bad hand, by making the squad there go berserk. I could now wait for them to come to me.
My opponent went into two CC's after victory location buildings. Both would end up in Melees.
One of the long standing key game characteristics of my regular STL opponent (been playing one another since 1978) is that he tends to the side of caution. He'd rather lose a scenario by victory conditions, but have lost fewer men than his opponent. I've mentioned this before in other scenario AAR's between us. In this game, I believe this tendency towards caution deprived him of the win. More aggressive movements, earlier on, would definitely have imperiled my boys in the L3 building. But fortunately they were not seriously pressed until the end.
The Melees resolved on the following turn and both went to the Americans. At this point, my boys had control of all 4 building locations.
On Turn 5, the Germans launched their final attack. L3 was the target hex. My single 3-3-7 was definitely vulnerable. But in Defensive Fire, I managed to Pin the two 5-4-8 squads bearing down on me in K4. With those squads pinned, my opponent conceded. My Americans would get the win.
A moment to celebrate the victory in Vierville, before we head north to Norway!
Our Double-header continues now with the AAR For SV6 Norwegian Edelweiss!
The second game of my weekend double-header would be my Saturday game vs. Dan Best. For this night's action, we had relied on Dan's wife to choose a scenario for us. She chose SV6 Norwegian Edelweiss. It would turn out to be a great selection!
Dan and I rolled for sides and I would be the Germans and hence the attacker. I would command the men of the II Battalion, Gebirgsjaeger Regment 2. This force would consist of 16 x 46-8's with an HMG and 3 x LMG's led by a 9-2, 2 x8-1's, and an 8-0. My 8-0 would end up being the most capable of my officers. My objective for victory would be to secure 2 or more of the 9 possible factory locations. As you will see, there may be an argument for increasing that to at least 3.
As the scenario defender, Dan would command a mixed group of Allied troops. These would include elements of the Scots Guards, 203rd Field Artillery- British, 1st Independent Company - British and Swedish volunteers o
f the Group Bjorkman. How bout that!!! Swedes...for the first time in my ASL experience I would be facing Swedes. To repel my Gebirgsjaeger Dan would have 6 x 4-5-8's, 2 x 6-4-8's, with an MMG and LMG led by 2 x 8-0's and a 7-0. He would also have 2 x 88 ARTY pieces and his Swedes would consist of 4 x 4-4-7's with an LMG and led by an 8-0.
f the Group Bjorkman. How bout that!!! Swedes...for the first time in my ASL experience I would be facing Swedes. To repel my Gebirgsjaeger Dan would have 6 x 4-5-8's, 2 x 6-4-8's, with an MMG and LMG led by 2 x 8-0's and a 7-0. He would also have 2 x 88 ARTY pieces and his Swedes would consist of 4 x 4-4-7's with an LMG and led by an 8-0.
By SSR, Dan would have to place the bulk of his Scots Guards at the south edge of the board by the stream. The Commandos and Arty would be up north with the Swedish volunteers arriving along the north edge.
Dan would be forced to cover a lot of ground as he did not have the resources necessary to hold the various factory buildings.
By SSR, my boys entered at specific points on the south and east edges. The white lines indicate my planned routes of advance.
Dan would do a great job of concealing his Arty and would catch me in the open later in the game with it.
I sent 6 squads with my 9-2 and 8-1 to see if they could gobble up some of the northern factory locations. I expected that this force would be the one to secure the victory.
Two of the squads from the large force were sent to take out Dan's single 4-5-8 on the southeast edge.
My attack in the south allowed me to quickly seize the first of the two factories needed for the win. Dan would contest the second one on the south side of the stream for the duration of the game. But if became immediately clear that this sector of the battlefield could give the Germans the victory if they could wrestle away both factories.
Dan's Swedish volunteers ready to enter the fray.
Dan quickly moved to take the high ground and interdict my northern expedition. He also sent squads to the west to secure some of the other factory locations.
Dan reacted quickly to my moves in the center and sent the 7-0 and a 4-5-8 to hold a factory location in the line of may advance.
With Dan on the high ground, I had to take measures to eliminate the threat.
After breaking Dan's 4-5-8 on the F7 hill top, I moved my two squads to put pressure on Dan's boys on the north side of the stream.
Dan's broken 4-5-8 self-rallied and returned to imperil my rear.
It was a tough climb and a squad would break under the fire from the Swedish LMG. But Dan would take a chance and go for Final Protective Fire and break the officer and squad.
They would be mission killed from that moment forward.
As my main effort engaged the Swedes on the hill, I sent another force up the road to head for the western factory complex. I would walk right into the first of the two concealed British 88 Artys. My force would break under the fire of the British gun.
In the south, Dan and I traded fire across the stream. For nearly three turns, it was stalemate.
The Swedish 8-0 and his broken squad would elude me for a turn or two...but then they would be mine.
After our stalemate, things opened up as I broke the British manning the MMG and the squads on the north side of the stream. My HMG went on a rate tear and would go on to break several targets as I would get my second factory location.
All along the southern front, Dan's boys were either routing or eliminated.
With his force in the south eliminated and with the German held factories on the south side of the stream, Dan offered the concession. He would not have the squads or the time required to move south to take one of the factories back from my Germans. And with heavy German forces in the hills, any movement south would make the factories in the north vulnerable.
So, my Germans would get the win.
In the post-game discussion, Dan and I both concluded that the Victory Conditions do seem to favor the Germans. With 9 factory locations, the German can stretch the British defenders pretty thin.
So we both think that 3 factory locations would make for a better game.
Just our thoughts of course.
Overall, a very fun scenario.
My thanks to my regular STL Opponent and to Dan for two great ASL games!
Once again, we'll be out of pocket for the next week due to Labor Day and to my wife and I celebrating our 30th Wedding Anniversary.
I have had two life-long passions in my life...my wonderful wife and ASL.
I'm a blessed man to say the least.
See you again in two weeks! Have a safe and enjoyable Labor Day Weekend...and remember to pay homage to the American Worker, whose contributions to this nation's greatness are often forgotten.
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