Saturday, March 9, 2019

Grumble Jones March Scenario GJ068 - Over Hill 192

For the March Scenario, I wanted to create another one using the  Deluxe ASL boards. I selected DASL boards k and l and then went looking for a scenario to match up to those boards. Not generally, the best way to create a scenario, but I did a lot of searching. I initially thought maybe something on Crete and the orchard would be olive groves, but just couldn't find the right action to put into a scenario.

Finally, I stumbled upon a internet post about the fighting for Hill 192 during the campaign for St. Lo. The hill is near Cloville, which is not far from Purple Heart Draw that was so well done in Lone Canuck's Purple Heart Draw Campaign Game. It's not a large action and the Germans were pretty overmatched from start to finish. The scenario I created should be pro-American despite my best efforts. The Germans have the advantages of concealment, terrain and Panzerfausts. This is excellent Panzerfaust terrain and the close environments of DASL engagements make them pretty darn scary for tanks.


The Americans have the 6 morale to content with and this is the biggest shortcoming. I added something new to the scenario, which allows both players to roll for random reinforcements on Turn 3. This can help a crumbling defense of stalled attack or add fuel to already raging fire. But if nothing else, it adds some additional unknowns to the game.

As I discovered today, while going through my scenario binders, I came across BFP Scenario BtB-3 Kraut Corner by Chas Smith. This scenario is in BFP's Beyond the Beachhead Pack and covers the fighting in Cloville. BFP Scenario BtB 7 (a-b) Blood on Hill 192 covers this exact engagement and is also in the Beyond the Beachhead Pack. Both of these scenarios by Chas Smith are excellent. I haven't played them yet myself, but they are my bucket list. I don't normally look for ideas in my scenarios...so missed that one on Hill 192 was already out there. But there isn't a DASL version and my scenario presented here is definitely a "lite" version interpretation of the battle. Chas Smith's version is a more fully realized rendering of the actual battle.

That's about all there is to say about the scenario at the moment. Kinda pressed for time this month due to work and preparing for the March Madness Tournament next week. As always, I hope the scenario captures the flavor of the fighting for Hill 192. One note, I had trouble with PDF conversion, so don't have a PDF version of the scenario yet. I'll keep trying and post it the ASL Archive as I can.

As always these monthly "Basement Quality" Scenarios are offered for fun only and as a thank you to the readers of this blog.

Remember to open pictures in a new window in order to maximize the size. 

And as always, the PDF's for these scenarios can be downloaded from The ASL Scenario Archive 

(just search on Grumble Jones).



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