Our Saturday Game - ASL Scenario AP80 - A Bloody Waste

For our Saturday game, Dan Best and I selected Scenario AP80 - A Bloody Waste. After having just received Lone Canuck's Anzio-1944 Pack, I was excited to use my new 1st Special Service Force counters. AP80 includes the 1st Special Services Force, so it was a perfect choice for the evening's ASL.

This scenario is a Gary Fortenberry design and is a nice mid-sized combined arms action. There are lots of toys on both sides and fairly straight-forward objectives. The scenario takes place in June 1944 at Artena-Valmonte Gap, Italy.

The drive towards the Artena-Valmonte Gap was intended to cut off Highway 15, which represented the only escape route for Kesselring's forces as the momentum of the fighting in Anzio swung decisively in favor of the Allied drive towards Rome.

Standing in the way were the veterans of the Hermann Goering Panzer Division. But leading the effort to dislodge the Luftwaffe Grenadiers would be the Black Devils of Col. Robert T. Frederick's 1st Special Service Force.

Having rolled the defense, Dan Best would command the Grenadiers of the Hermann Goering Division. His force would consist of 6 x 4-6-7's, 4 x 2-2-8's, led by a 9-1, and 8-1 with 2 x Stug III's, 1 x Marder III, a Wirbelwind, and a Flakpanzer 38 with an 81mm MTR, a HMG, an MMG, 2 x LMG's, 12 Mine Factors, 2 x 20 L AA Guns, and an 88mm AA Gun. Dan would also have 4 x Trenches and 2 x Barb Wire to strengthen his defenses.

While infantry poor, this force would be well equipped to stand up to the tank assault coming at it.

As the scenario attacker, I would get the chance to command the Canadians and Americans of the 1st Special Service Force. I was stoked to command these guys. Dan and I discussed the Scenario SSR, which equated the 1st Special Service Force with the Marines and decided to forgo those and use George Kelln's 1st Special Service Force rules from Lone Canuck's Anzio-1944 Pack. 

My force would also be made up of men from the 3rd Infantry Division and armor from Task Force Howze. It has been a while since I had such a powerful force to command. My troops would consist of 6 x 6-6-8', 8 x 6-6-6's, led by a 9-2, 9-1, 8-1 and 8-0 with a .50 CAL HMG, 2 x MMG's, 4 x Bazookas and 2 x DC. My armor would include a 9-1 Armor Leader and 6 x Sherman M4A1's, and 4 x M10's. 

The only downside to the scenario would be having to move across a lot of open Italian landscape to get to the Germans in the hilltop fortified village. I was not looking forward to dealing with the German 88. My last experience with an 88 was in Bosq Barbecue against Big Kansas (Chris Brackney) and his 88 lit me up.  So, I was cautiously optimistic about this scenario.

But despite my fears about assaulting across ground exposed to some serious German fire, I was really looking forward to commanding some of Col. Frederick's Black Devils...and using my new Lone Canuck counters! Woohoo!!!

Like these fellas...I looked at the maps for this scenario every day after work...trying to work out the best attack approach.

Dan had been busy playing earlier in the day with the Kansas City ASL Club and put his defense together shortly after we began our SKYPE session. The central road running through Dan's position is actually a raised railroad embankment. Dan anchored his defense with a Stug III at either end. Unfortunately the wheat fields in the east and brush in the west messed with his lines of sight.

My attack plan hinged on placing three critical White Phosphorous smokes into play. I managed to get all three. And lo and behold one of my Willy Pete specials landed right on Dan's HIP 88mm Gun. This would of course be a good news bad news sort of thing...as once revealed the 88 cracked off a round and destroyed the offending Sherman tank. In other news, I would make it to my phase 1 objective line.

 Oh...how I hate to face these bad boys...

 By the end of turn 2, I had managed to break the crew of the 88 and forced them to rout away from their gun.

 One of the standouts for me in the game would be my 50 Cal HMG directed by the 9-2. They would offer the exact kind of fire support I needed thoughout the game.

 Turn 2, I moved ahead quickly to take shots at the 88mm Gun while its crew was on holiday!

 As my Shermans moved ahead, Dan's west edge Stug III opened up. He would destroy one tank before MALF'ing its gun.

 As my infantry attack began to hit the jump off line, Dan's 81mm MTR opened up from the factory roof. Now we both discussed this and decided it was ok (despite Roof use being by SSR only). Dan's mortar would struggle to get any hits, before I managed to break it's crew.

 Dan would fix the Stug's gun in the very next rally phase and begin popping off shots at my boys. Meanwhile, my 50 CAL would do great damage to the Germans hiding in the Tower.

The tower would become a death-trap for Dan's boys. Only the 9-1 would escape alive.

 One of my 6-6-8's decided to go Berserk. This would serve me well in launching my assault.

My Sherman would go after the 8-1 German stack and in the process create a Hero and battle harden a 4-6-7 to a 4-6-8...but my Rate of Fire would hit four times and ultimately break everyone and wound the hero twice.

 My Berserk squad would charge first and actually make it unharmed into the building. In the process, the German 20L AA would reveal and fire. It would hurt me badly shortly...

 In this image...you can see that I had marked the 20L AA Final Fired. Not sure now, why I failed to First Fire it...but the mistake had been made.

 A launched my tanks and infantry into the planned assault. I sent the 8-1 stack to deal with the 20L AA Gun, because I believe it could not fire again. I was mistaken...and predictably Dan's roll was snake eyes and everyone died. I was sick inside...such a stupid error on my part...and so costly.

As my boys surged forward and up into the village...my 9-1 was bent on revenge and went after the 20L AA gun crew.

 A look at the objective buildings as we concluded Turn 3.

 Despite having a 3 to 1 on Dan's 20L AA gun crew...I rolled "11" and Melee it was...the other Melee was my boys swarming over Dan's Marder III.

Melee!!!

 I knew that Dan's other Stug would eventually hit me from behind...but I ignored the threat and pushed into the village. 

Dan's Stug would destroy an M-10 in bounding fire.

 Dan's Hero would jump into Close Combat with another M-10 in the village. He would roll and get an Anti-Tank Mine...but fail to set it.

Despite the miss...the courage of Dan's thrice wounded hero was something to admire. A stout cardboard warrior to be sure!

 A look at the situation as we headed into Turn 4.

 I managed finally to immobilize the Stug in the west after having shocked it earlier. I sent a Sherman, an M-10 and my 9-1 after the Stug in the east. It would claim one more victim by destroying the M-10 with intensive fire. Meanwhile in the village, Dan's hero would be gunned down.  And I would lose two more tanks to Panzerfausts. For much of the game, Dan had failed either to get a Panzerfaust or to hit...but finally he got the fausts and got the hits.

 As the turn concluded, Dan was down to his last two squads and only held two of the objective buildings. My boys were in the village in force and would soon eliminate the eastern Stug and the remaining 20L to gain control of the village. At this point, Dan offered the concession and my 1st Special Service Force had the victory.

It had been a tough fight with heavy losses on both sides, but my boys had managed to get it done.

As always my thanks to my intrepid opponent for yet another great night of ASL.

Dan and I will be back next Saturday for another 3 Way SKYPE with our good friend Dave Mareske joining us for some more cardboard carnage!

See you next time!