Our 100th Saturday Game - ASL Scenario A6 The Price of Impatience

As Dan Best and I prepared for our next Saturday Game, we both realized that this would be our 100th game against one another. After checking the win/loss record, Dan had 50 wins and I was at 49. Our 100th game would decide if we were "balanced" or not!!! Given the varied scenarios we have played, it's remarkable that we appear to be so evenly matched as opponents. It was Dan's turn to pick the scenario and he was keen of playing one from the 1989 ASL Annual.

So we would be going 30 years back in time. 1989 was the year I began playing full ASL after finally deciding it was time to put my original Squad Leader away. It was that year that the Berlin Wall finally came down. Only 4 years before I had stood beside that very wall, as the East Germans were busy tearing down the 1963 wall and putting up their newest version.

How odd to consider the fall of that wall...in a time when so many seem to want more walls. 

1989 was the year that we finally saw the beginning of the end of the Cold War that had hung over the world like a giant Damocles Sword. We were full of hope in 1989 that a time of peace would be ushered in. Only two years later in 1991, we would be at war in Iraq...and the hoped for Peace would slip from humanity's grasp once more.

Checkpoint Charlie - 1985 - the one and only time that an MG-42 has ever personally tracked me as I walked through into East Germany.

East German soldiers stand guard at a section of the original Berlin Wall that had been torn down and the new wall sections were being put into place. 

The wall is painted white on the inside to highlight anyone trying to cross it. A sand track surrounded the inner perimeter to reveal any footprints and ensure that Guards didn't not turn a blind eye to someone trying to escape. The soldiers in the background are laying mines. Today, it is hard for us to imagine a divided Germany let alone the existence of a wall completely surrounding what was West Berlin.

Dan and I were both excited to play our 100th scenario. In honor of this occasion, I put this image together, which makes Dan and I look like poorly put together GI Joe Dolls. Poor Rick Reinesch was placed in this image without his permission...(my apologies Rick...but your head placement was the best of the three!!). 

Dan's choice of scenarios from the 1989 ASL Annual would be A6 - The Price of Impatience. Dan is a huge fan of Partisan-based actions. This particular scenario also seems a bit timely as the 75th Anniversary of the Normandy Invasion is only weeks away. The Price of Impatience depicts the actions of the French Maquis as they attempted to harry and delay the advance of the 2nd SS "Das Reich Division" as it moved to the invasion beaches. The results of these many delaying actions would result in one of the most horrible atrocities to occur in France. Even today, the subject of the Oradour-sur-Glane Massacre brings raw emotions to the surface. On June 10th, after two days of attacks by the Maquis, the 2nd SS "Das Reich" would unleash its fury on the village of  Orodour-sur-Glane and murder 642 of its inhabitants. 

Scenario A6-The Price of Impatience depicts the actions of June 8th, 1944 as the men of Das Reich attempted to pass through the village of Cressensac, France. At Cressensac, member of the Ace of Hearts Maquis, armed with only a single British Bren LMG would risk their lives to harry the SS Grenadiers. 

Check the link below for more information about this particular action with detail about the members of the Ace of Hearts Maquis.

   https://www.historywalks.eu/main.php?obj_id=619333181  

Cressensac, France 

This scenario appears to be well balanced. ROAR has it with 19 German wins and 17 Maquis wins. The ASL Archive has it with 2 German wins and 1 Maquis win.

After rolling for sides, I would be the defending Ace of Hearts Maquis. Interestingly, my very first game against Dan Best had me leading Russian Partisans in a 4-Player playing of  A Winter Melee at the 2013 ASL Texas Tournament. So it would be very fitting that I would command Partisans in our 100th game.

My force would consist of 6 x 3-3-7's, led by an 8-1 and 7-0 with a single LMG. Other than courage, my Partisans would very poorly equipped to try and stop a column of SS Panzergrenadiers. YIKES...I did not like my chances.

As the scenario attacker, Dan would command the HQ elements of SS-Panzergrenadie Regiment 4, SS-Panzer Division 2 "Das Reich". Das Reich had a long history of combat service, most notably in Russia and particularly at the Battle of Kursk.

Following horrendous losses in late, 1943-1944, they were relocated to the south of France to refit. This location, while probably greatly enjoyed by its members after the horrors of the Eastern Front, would also place it far from the Invasion Beaches of Normandy. Their journey to the battlefield would be extremely difficult as they faced French Resistance fighters and Allied fighter bombers. The men of Das Reich would also suffer heavily in the Normandy fighting and would see even further  horror during Death Night as their axis of retreat took them directly into the 2nd US Armored Division. A bit of Karma for their earlier atrocities...perhaps.

Dan's force would enter the board through the I1 road hex in convoy. Here is the order that they would move onto the board and down the road in convoy: 1) 5-4-8 on motorcycles, 2) 6+1 in a Kubelwagen, 3) 5-4-8 with LMG in truck, 4) 4-4-7 in truck, 5) 6-5-8, 8-1 with MMG in truck, 6) 6-5-8 in truck, 7) 6-5-8 with LMG in truck, 8) 2-2-8 in truck with 75AT Gun in tow. 

Once fired upon or on Turn 4, Dan would receive reinforcements of 1 x 251 Halftrack with 75, 1 x 251 Halftrack with 37L and 2 x 251 Halftracks with AA MG's and an 8-1 Armor Leader.

Dan would win the game immediately upon exiting 40 VP off Road Hexes GG5-6. Dan could reduce this number by 1 for each casualty VP amassed during the scenario.

And now for Dan's Pre-Game Commentary:

"The Germans must enter by convoy (E11) in this scenario and the Partisans are all HIP.  So there is very little that can be done to stop the ambush.  So my tactic will be to bust the ambush by immediately stopping the convoy and dismounting.  Then attacking the partisans with assault fire and close combat.  Once attacked the halftracks get to enter and will bring the fight to the Partisans with mobile fire.  The two halftracks with guns will attack direct while the two with MGs will go around to cut route paths."

With that...it was time for our 100th Game!

By SSR, my Partisans set up  HIP. Also by SSR, there is one 2nd Level Location for a single MMC with leader and support weapon. So yeah....the designer put it there for a reason, so that's where I put my 8-1 and squad with the Bren. I considered setting it up for fire lane, but my choice would ultimately contribute to the end result. The black hashmarks denote the ambush zone. Once Dan's lead vehicle hit Y6, all of my units would fire.

My boys would have to be patient and let the Germans move into the trap.

 Dan's convoy enters the map.

 Dan's convoy would not enter the ambush zone on turn 1. 

 Turn 2 - Dan's convoy enters the kill box.

"I got a bad feeling about this..."

The German motorcycle squad and 6+1 were oblivious to the danger.

My boys opened fire. The German motorcycle squad was KIA'd on the first shot. The 6+1 in his Kubelwagen would be pinned. The first truck with 5-4-8 and an LMG would blow up killing the squad...and so it went all down the convoy.

 Both of Dan's 5-4-8's were eliminated in the first few seconds of the fight.

 The German convoy would stop and everyone bailed out and moved into the fight.

I knew that I had to eliminate and/or break as many Germans as possible...cause we were so close that close combat with the grenadiers would be an unhappy result. And so it was as Dan's boys jumped into CC with my brave resistance fighters!

 On my part of Turn 2, I too would go into CC against Dan's pinned 6+1 and his abandoned Kubelwagen. I would destroy the Kubelwagen, but the 6+1 would hold me in Melee...wow!!!

I would also street fight another of Dan's trucks with a broken half-squad inside.

 After two full turns, I was down a squad that was killed in close combat, but otherwise, my force was intact and ready for Turn 3.

The Germans...eager for revenge came on full steam. Their reinforcements had also rolled into the fight. All I had to take on the half-tracks was a Bren.

 The half-tracks covered the distance in one go and would make their presence felt immediately.

As I had feared, contact with the SS Grenadiers would be a costly venture. I had hurt the Germans, but now they were surging into the village. My time was running out.

The Germans planned their assault.

 As the Grenadiers began swarming my flanks, I tried to fall back.

 My 8-1 would be broken and fall back downstairs with another broken squad. At the time, I was not  happy to have to fall back...but it would be greatly to my advantage as we shall see.

Dan's half-tracks were all CE, so I was able to get a stun on one of them as it pulled in close.

 On came the Germans...

 My forces were in trouble. The village was falling into German hands.

"Ja...zweite Kompanie kontrolliert das Dorf."

Dan's Grenadiers would go into CC with a 3-3-7 and my wounded 7-0. Both would perish. My 8-1 would take a 3-3-7 with him to the outskirts of the village. He would try to set up one final ambush.

The Germans were in control of the village, except for two pockets of resistance.

 Then a strange thing happened. A French sniper managed to immobilize the German truck towing the 75L AT Gun. Just like that 5 VP were removed from the German account.

 Turn 4 - all my boys were broken. The weight of German fire had taken its toll on my force.

As Turn 5 began, my 8-1 and his squad managed to rally. And just in time as two half-tracks came hunting. As the Germans moved in from all sides, my 8-1 would successfully street fight and destroy one half-track.

 In my part of Turn 5, I would succeed in destroying a second half-track.

 The remaining Germans came rushing forward as my 8-1 slowly retreated toward the board edge.

 My final stand as awaited the Germans to rush by me. I would take down a German half-squad as the remaining German forces streamed by.

As Turn 6 came to an end, Dan had managed to exit 18 VPs. It would not be enough. After factoring in the Partisan losses, Dan's total exit VP went from 40 to 29 VP's. With that, my French Resistance fighters had the win.

It had been a hard fight and both sides had suffered heavy casualties. 

And now for Dan's Post-Game Commentary:

"Well that plan did not work.  It was effective at eliminating the Partisan units until the 8-1 and one 3-3-7 were able to get street fighting on the halftracks.  Losing two half tracks on turn 6.  The sniper also immobilized the truck towing the AT gun and the Germans were only able to exit 18 VP.  The Partisan losses had lowered the needed total to 29 VP but there was not enough remaining Germans.  Well played by Grumble Jones who waited patiently for the Germans to enter the ambush and advanced boldly into CC to kill trucks and halftracks with street fighting.  This scenario is great fun.  I cannot believe I have waited 30 years (since the 1989 Annual came out) to play it."

My boys had prevailed and given me the win...after 100 games....Dan and I were tied 50 - 50!!!! 

Looking forward to the next 100!!!

Dan and I will be off next week for the KC Games Day and Easter Holiday.

We'll be back to start the next 100 Games on the 27th as we play Scenario MM58 Passing in the Night! 

We'll see you then.

This AAR is dedicated to the memory of those innocent French citizens who lost their lives at Oradour-Sur-Glane.