Our Saturday Game - ASL Scenario T6 The Dead of Winter

For our Saturday game, Dan Best and I went into the deep freeze! We selected ASL Scenario T6 The Dead of Winter, which has deep snow and extreme winter for the EC. It's been a while since I played a scenario with Extreme Winter (E3.74). Extreme Winter is a really bad deal and would be especially harsh on the Germans in this scenario. Essentially, for those tanks, guns and support weapons operating in the outdoors, the weapon breakdown# decreased by 2. So you can imagine the impact upon things like Intensive Fire suddenly become far riskier. An "8" breakdown number would be in play for an intensive fire shot and would lead to a gun malfunction at a critical moment in the game.

While winter weather can often be quite beautiful...I shudder to imagine what is ws like to fight in the extreme cold of the Russian Front day after day. I grew up in the mountains of NE Tennessee on the  Virginia border and in the 1960's-1970's weather was pretty  normal and I grew up thinking that 32 F was cold...like really cold. My father got transferred to St. Louis, MO in 1978...and I still remember my first trip to St. Louis and waiting for a rental car outside of Lambert Field....and it was freaking cold man!! Coldest I had ever been...that summer would also be the hottest I had ever experienced as well. St. Louis had become my personal weather hell. Of course, I married a girl from Minneapolis, MN...and I thought I had experienced cold....but I was wrong. Christmas walks around Lake Harriet or Lake Calhoun were on another level of misery, which my Minnesota in-laws seemed to have no issues with. Walking from the car to a University of Minnesota basketball game with my father-in-law...I thought my ears had actually fallen off. Holy cow...my thin Southern blood could not then and still cannot cope with extreme cold. And yet here I  sit in frigid Western Illinois. One day my exile from my beloved Blue Ridge Mountains will end....but for now winter is a part of my life.

Scenario T6 takes place northwest of Staritsa, Russia on December 29th, 1941. At this time, fresh Siberian units were coming into the line for the Russians and helping to launch counter-attacks against the over extended Germans, who were ill-equipped to survive the artic winter that had arrived in Russia. 

ROAR has this scenario with 77 Russian Wins and 96 German Wins. The ASL Archive has it with 5 Russian Wins and 11 German Wins. So this scenario is definitely pro-German based on the logged games.

The scenario utilizes half of board 4 with the Russians entering from the east edge and needing to exit at least 20 VP on the southwest board edge between AA1 and GG1.

Now, I  have explained that I fail to understand the victory conditions from time to time. And I would once again completely muff it with this scenario. I thought I had to exit off the west board edge and you will see from my attack that I was completely off my medications.

This has become a bit of a chronic problem for me personally of late. Some of it is attributable to job stress. I'm busy working on establishing a brand new supply chain in Thailand for items currently made in China thanks to some ill-conceived tariffs. So my job stress is off the charts and beginning to affect my personal life in unpleasant ways. But nonetheless, I am going to have be much more focused and diligent for our future games. My opponents certainly deserve my best effort based on the correct understanding of the scenario objectives.

After rolling for sides, Dan would be the defending Germans of the 18th Regiment of the 26th Infantry Division. The 26th would participate in the invasion of France, before finding itself on the Eastern Front. It would see action during the Battle of Kursk and following that debacle, would be absorbed into another division. The Division would be resurrected as the 26th Volksgrenadier Division and ultimately surrender to the Western Allies at the end of the war.

Dan's force would consist of 3 x 4-6-7's led by a 9-2 and 8-1 with an MMG, LMG, 6 x trenches and with a 37L AT Gun and dug in MIV with a 75* MA. 

As the attacking Russians, I would command elements of the 31st Soviet Army. This army was formed at the end of 1941 with the goal of creating a strong defensive line in the Moscow sector. It would be active for the duration of the war, crossing the Dneiper, liberating Brest and finally ending the war in the East Prussian campaign. My force would consist of  6 x 6-2-8's, led by an 8-1 and 8-0 with a radio less platoon of T-34/M40's. This would of course force me to use armored platoon movement which I absolutely detest. 

And now for Dan's Pre-Game Comments:

For the Germans the key to this scenario is stopping one tank.  The Russian tanks are each work 7 EVP and can win the scenario alone.  The Russian infantry will likely be too slow to make an exit in the 5 movement phases.  The German AT gun and tank must get rear shots to be effective.  The German tank does not get much option to be concealed or hidden at set up.  So I will set up at the cross roads where it can cover both the hedge road and main road with the co-ax MG.  It will get some side shots as the Russians go for exit.  The trenches can bog the Russian tanks on a roll of 10 or higher with the snow.  So they will set up as a barrier between the woods in GG4 and BB2.  The German AT gun will set up hidden in GG4.  It will cover the exit hexes and go for rear shots as the Russian tanks exit.  IT will be protected by the 8-1 leader with the DC.  The leader will need the DC to avoid non-qualified use.  I will deploy one squad to be in the trenches and hopefully get a chance at CC with the tanks.  The 9-2, squad and MMG will set up in Building X1 backed up by the squad in LMG in CC6.  Their main job is to delay the Russian infantry.  If the 9-2 can inflict 9 CVP in infantry casualties and one tank is immobilized or knocked out the Germans will win.

OK...so as I have already pointed out much to my embarrassment....my plan was to drive straight across the snow covered steppes and exit the west board edge. I was completely oblivious to the actual exit location until nearly Turn 3...when I started to question why Dan's trench  line was where it was.

 With my infantry accompanying my tanks, I rolled onto the snowy steppes.

              But Dan's 9-2 was tracking my every move...

 Dan's MMG and LMG both poured it on and broke and KIA'd my boys.

Turn 2...my T-34's carried on without their infantry. Dan's 9-2 was making the center a killing ground, which I simply could not cross. But...then something else happened. The Soviet Sniper managed to land on Dan's dug-in MKIV, which was CE. This would stun the tank and force it button up and take an additional +1 penalty on all shots.

Thanks Sniper chick! I needed all the help I could get!

Turn 3....my infantry continued to suffer at the hands of Dan's MMG team with the 9-2. The LMG had broken and then been destroyed while trying to fix it. Dan's dug-in MKIV had MALF'd its MA and would not fire again for the duration of the game. I sent my tanks right at it and would spend one turn shooting at him...but to no effect.

At this stage of the game...I finally figured out where I was actually supposed to exit the board and realized that I would have to cross Dan's trench line and risk bogging in order to exit the map...not to mention facing his grenadiers waiting for me with a DC. Oh and the German AT Gun was sitting in the GG4 woods waiting for rear shots...which I would be oh so happy to give him.

My remaining 6-2-8's were bent on revenge and made their way to take on Dan's 9-2. Four of their brethren squads had been mauled. Time for some payback.

Dan's 9-2 was not worried in the slightest...

Turn 4...it was time to make a run for the exit...now that I actually knew where it was.

Dan's boys would be waiting...

Dan's 8-1 had the DC and rushed up to hurl it onto one of my passing T-34's.

He would miss and be broken by the collateral damage attack...things were going wrong for the Germans at just the worst moment...

As I continued my crossing of the German Trench line...I gave Dan's PAK 36 all the rear shots it could have hoped for. Honestly, I could not have made dumber moves if I had tried...

Unfortunately for Dan, his AT Gun would get hits, but no armor penetrations.

To compound Dan's woes, one of his 2-4-7's missed the PAATC to attack one of my tanks as it passed over their trench. The momentum was solidly Russian at this point in the game.

Back in the east, my 6-2-8's had crept up and into Close Combat with the German 9-2.

To this point, he had been the hero of the game. His men had shattered the Russian infantry and would take down yet another squad in Close Combat before all was said and done.

 Ever the gracious opponent, Dan had pointed out that I might want to swing my turrets backwards as my tanks attempted to leave he battlefield. This would prove to be a great bit of advice. As German infantry moved to attack, I was able to machine gun and break a few. Additionally, his AT-Gun's hits on my Turrets would save my tanks from destruction. Time was running out for the Germans...

In Dan's final movement turn...he sent a 2-4-7 into Close Combat with one of my T-34's. All Dan needed to do was to stop one T-34 and he would secure the victory. He needed a snake eyes to do anything...

 And...holy cow...HE ROLLED SNAKE EYES!!! But...then he rolled a four and no result. My tank would escape.

 Back in the east, I would manage to break the 9-2 and squad. 

My last 6-2-8 would finally get some payback.

 In Rout Phase, Dan's 9-2 and squad would be eliminated...

In the final turn, all three of my T-34's would exit the board for 20 VP as one had a Malf'd MA. None of my infantry would exit. Dan had eliminated my 8-1 and 5 of my 6-2-8's. I had won by the slimmest of margins and honestly felt like I didn't deserve the win. I had done so many things wrong and it was only by pure luck and German missed opportunities that I managed to successfully exit three tanks off the map. ASL can be a strange game at times and often rewards random luck as often as bold tactical skills.

And now for Dan's post-game comments:

Well everything went as expected.  The 9-2 group stopped the infantry, inflicting 12 CVP before being eliminated.  However, the Russian tanks were tough to kill.  The German tank broke its MA on the second shot and never repaired.  The AT gun got three hits.  Two hits on the rear armor but the rounds bounced and the third hit was on the turret.  The AT gun then broke and could not be repaired.  The 8-1 threw the DC and got a bad placement DR.  The infantry even rolled snake eyes on CC and had a 50% chance of immobilization or destruction.  And missed the roll.  All three tanks passed their bog checks.  All three tanks exited for victory.  It is well earned after all those tank traps.  Congratulations to Grumble Jones on another victory!

Nicely done and a good game.  This scenarios is a good primer for winter ASL.

Dan and I will take a break for the Thanksgiving Holiday and be back in the saddle on December 1st for a playing of Operation Veritable Scenario HS17 Water Foul. This scenario is unlike anything you've seen in any previous AAR...so it should be very interesting!

To all of my readers, I wish you and your families the happiest of Thanksgivings...may your travels be swift and safe...your time with family filled with joy and festivity and may we all be thankful for the blessings bestowed upon us here in these United States. And to my international readers, may you and your families share joy and happiness in your fall and winter holidays as well. Though divided by many nations...we are united in our thankfulness for our shared blessings.