For our Saturday game - I selected something from North Africa. The campaign in North Africa has always been fascinating to me. There's really no other battlefield quite like the deserts of Libya and Egypt. But as much as I enjoy studying the battles for North Africa...I don't play DTO very often in ASL. The lack of cover, and the various rules around dust, sun blindness, etc. have kept me from really embracing my inner Afrika Korps!!! Of course, rule issues are a poor excuse for not enjoying the full range of ASL. And the best way to learn is to just jump in and play it. One of my ongoing goals for ASL is to play more PTO and DTO scenarios.
Castles on the Horizon (designed by Chas Argent), covers the actions around Bir Bu Meliha, Libya in November 1941 during Operation Crusader. The Germans would launch a large armored assault on strong British positions on the late afternoon of November 20th and would experience some late afternoon sun blindness as the sun set behind the British positions. This will be my first time using this rule and I'm looking forward to seeing how it plays out.
The terrain for this scenario is wide open desert with hillocks as you can see to the left of center. The scenario requires the German Player to amass 5 or more VP's. Each hillock summit (4 total) is worth 3 VP's. On the downside, each German AFV lost reducing the German VP total by 1. So too many losses will definitely make it an uphill battle for the Germans.
ROAR has this scenario with 15 British wins and 8 German wins. The ASL Archive has it with 1 German win and 0 British wins.
At first glance, I'd would say this scenario appears to favor the British. Certainly, the Germans will have to cross a large swath of open desert to get to the hillock locations. By SSR, only German infantry can control the victory locations. Soooo....looks like shooting the Landsers will be a major focus of Defensive Fire.
After rolling for sides, I would be the defending British and Dan the attacking Germans.
As the attacking Germans, Dan would be assume the role of the most famous Swabian, Erwin Rommel. He would command elements of the Schuetzen-Brigade 15 and Panzer-Regiment 8, of the 15th Panzer Division. Dan's force would be made up of the following: 8 x 4-6-8's, led by a 9-1, 8-1, and 8-0 with an MMG and LMG. Armored support would consist of a 9-1 Armor Leader with 2 x MKIV 75*'s, 2 x MKIII H's, 4 x MIII G's, 3 x MKII F's and 8 Half-Tracks. By SSR, the half-tracks are immediately recalled when no longer carrying passengers. Dan's biggest challenge seems to be getting his 8 squads safely into position and not lose them to AT Gun and Tank fire as they enter the game. I'll definitely we making them the priority targets,
As the defending British, I would command elements of the 2nd Battalion, Scots Guards, and 8th Hussars, 4th Armored Brigade, 7th Armored Division. Yeah BABY!!! Desert RATS in the HOUSE!
My force would consist of 8 x 4-5-7's, and a 2-2-8 led by an 8-1 and 7-0 with 2 x MMG's, an LMG, an ATR and a 51 Mortar. For support I would have 2 x Stuart Tanks and 1 x 40L AT Gun.
On Turn 3, I would also receive 3 x Crusader Tanks. Given the large number of German AFV's, I will definitely need the Crusader Tanks as quickly as possible.
My AT capability is definitely limited, but if I can survive long enough for my Crusaders to arrive...I may stand a chance. My biggest weakness is in leadership. I have to cover a large area of virtually open ground...so with only two leaders, it will be tough to rally broken units.
The German Afrika Korps and British 8th Army were two of the first packs I ever bought. Both were fantastic. The molds were great with no flash and the poses were awesome. And then there was the Vickers Machine Gun with the British. So much 1/76 scale goodness. In the years prior to discovering Squad Leader, my card table would be the scene of endless battles between these two great armies. And yes...I still have these bad boys in a collection that grew to over 12,000 figures. They don't see much action these days...but they will always be near and dear to this boys' heart.
And now for Dan's Pre-Game Comments:
Ok, my defense...each Hillock Summit is worth 3 CVP. So I can't give them up willy nilly. I would place both Stuarts on the center hillock to cover both flanks in front of the other hillocks. The ATR would be positioned to defend the Stuarts if Dan sent armor directly up the middle. My AT Gun was positioned back on the large hillock. I also put my 8-1, an MMG and the mortar on this hillock. I definitely wanted to encourage Dan to attack the north side. I felt this would slow Dan down the most and allow my Turn 3 Crusaders to get into the battle before Dan could take the center hill. I assumed I would lose one hillock. So in the north, I had placed two 4-5-7's on that hillock to try and hold out for as long as possible.
Woohooo...get to use a new counter!!! Dan's Germans would be coming from the east and driving right into late afternoon sun blindness.
Dan...Herr Schwerpunkt as he is known at Grumble Jones....would live up to his moniker with a huge Schwerpunkt on the northeast board edge. I was not too upset by this initially, because I was hoping for that very move. But...why didn't I do a better job of defending against the very thing I had hoped would happen???
I watched patiently as Dan's Panzers roared into action. It was the 8 half-tracks that I wanted to shoot at. And I fired my Stuart at the first one that zoomed across the sands. Fired and missed...no rate...ok next movement and I fire again with Intensive Fire. I roll a 10...MALF'd the MA.
With my Stuart's MA MALF'd...I had to try and get some hits with my 2 Pounder that was 33 hexes too far away. I fire...miss...keep rate...fire...miss....no rate...ok Intensive Fire...oh noooo…..
Yep...boxcars...that was it for my 2 Pounder...GONE...and not even a single hit from it...Just like that my defense was done.
Now...Dan and I are big fans of Intensive Fire and we have gotten away with using it without too many bad consequences. Well, I paid for our sins with two MALF's in a row. Had I simply been patient, I would have had some good shots in the proceeding Prep Fire Phase. So I had no one to blame but myself for effectively neutralizing my own AT defense.
Turn 1 - British....I had to move my last Stuart. So I decided to gamble and send him east to try and interdict the half-tracks as they would be recalled in Turn 2. All I needed was to take down one of two.
Turn 2 - as required by SSR, once all its passengers disembarked, the half-track would be recalled. So all 8 of Dan's Half-Tracks made a run for the east board edge. I would have shot at them...but....
Dan had already destroyed my Stuart in Prep Fire...yeah...this game was becoming more fun by the turn!!!
Turn 2 - German movement phase. Dan's boys would move into position to take their first hillock. But Tommy Atkins would manage to DM most of the German grenadiers as Dan's 4-6-8's revealed their glass jaws and missed every morale check.
Turn 3 - Dan secured the north hillock and was sitting pretty with 5 VP's after knocking out my Stuart with the MALF'd MA. His armor then converged on the middle hillock. My ATR fired...but couldn't get it done.
On my part of Turn 3, I sent my 3 Crusaders rolling towards a single MK III looking for a rear shot on it. I sent all three tanks in CE...bad call. Two of my Crusaders would be stunned by MG fire from Dan's tanks. My third tank made it, while Dan's Panzers finished off his two mates.
The circles indicated Dan's VP at the end of Turn 3. He had earned 7 and lost one due to the destroyed MK III. So he had 6 VP and only needed 5 for the win. It was at this point, that I gave the concession. My last Crusader had been acquired by 3 Panzers and would surely go down in Turn 4...and my infantry on the center hillock were broken and surrounded. So by the middle of Turn 4, Dan would have added another 4 VP for a total of 10. He would not need to attack any further and my remaining force could not alter the math. So it was game over and a total victory for Dan's Afrika Korps!
A last look at a dismal effort on my part. These are the kind of defeats that you don't like to experience very often.
And now for Dan's Post Game Comments:
"The plan worked. Another victory for the Schwerpunkt. Although my tactics were helped greatly by the AT gun rolling a boxcars on a intensive fire shot and being eliminated. I attacked the north flank and got across the board with little damage. The half tracks were able to unload infantry and exit without loss. The Germans then won armored battle and made this scenario look easy. Many things worked in the Germans favor including bad to hit rolls for the Brits. The scenario is a fun desert action and my thanks to Grumble Jones for a fun game!"
Dan and I will return next Saturday for a playing of Scenario MM09 Old Child Harbor from the Kansas City ASL Club's Texel Pack. This was recently mentioned by Oliver Gray during his interview with the 2-Half Squads. So...Dan and I thought...yeah....next game is from the Texel Pack.
Castles on the Horizon (designed by Chas Argent), covers the actions around Bir Bu Meliha, Libya in November 1941 during Operation Crusader. The Germans would launch a large armored assault on strong British positions on the late afternoon of November 20th and would experience some late afternoon sun blindness as the sun set behind the British positions. This will be my first time using this rule and I'm looking forward to seeing how it plays out.
ROAR has this scenario with 15 British wins and 8 German wins. The ASL Archive has it with 1 German win and 0 British wins.
At first glance, I'd would say this scenario appears to favor the British. Certainly, the Germans will have to cross a large swath of open desert to get to the hillock locations. By SSR, only German infantry can control the victory locations. Soooo....looks like shooting the Landsers will be a major focus of Defensive Fire.
After rolling for sides, I would be the defending British and Dan the attacking Germans.
My force would consist of 8 x 4-5-7's, and a 2-2-8 led by an 8-1 and 7-0 with 2 x MMG's, an LMG, an ATR and a 51 Mortar. For support I would have 2 x Stuart Tanks and 1 x 40L AT Gun.
On Turn 3, I would also receive 3 x Crusader Tanks. Given the large number of German AFV's, I will definitely need the Crusader Tanks as quickly as possible.
My AT capability is definitely limited, but if I can survive long enough for my Crusaders to arrive...I may stand a chance. My biggest weakness is in leadership. I have to cover a large area of virtually open ground...so with only two leaders, it will be tough to rally broken units.
So while we are waiting for the AAR to begin...who remembers the old 1/76 Scale Airfix Miniatures...the ones that were in the cool boxes in the 1970's and were $1.00 a box?? I'll raise my hand first and let me look...Vitus...do you have your hand up...how about you Mark Drake...and Dave Ginnard...I know you remember them!!!
The German Afrika Korps and British 8th Army were two of the first packs I ever bought. Both were fantastic. The molds were great with no flash and the poses were awesome. And then there was the Vickers Machine Gun with the British. So much 1/76 scale goodness. In the years prior to discovering Squad Leader, my card table would be the scene of endless battles between these two great armies. And yes...I still have these bad boys in a collection that grew to over 12,000 figures. They don't see much action these days...but they will always be near and dear to this boys' heart.
And now for Dan's Pre-Game Comments:
"The German strength in this game is the armor. 11 tanks with good MGs and 3 tanks with good armor and lots of ability to make smoke. The weakness is the sun blindness and the half-tracks. Normally half tracks are a plus. But in this case with each destroyed AFV deducting a VP from the Germans total, those 8 vehicles could be a big liability if the AT gun goes on a rate tear. The German plan is to form a Schwerpunkt on the flank that looks least defended. Move up to the wadi then turn north or south and capture the hillocks without sun blindness. The half tracks will enter and unload infantry the first turn. Then turn around and leave before the British tanks enter. The halftracks will follow the tanks and the unloaded infantry will advance into armored assault with the tanks. The Pz III will engage the enemy armor with the AL in one of the Pz IIIH tanks. The Pz II tanks will attack the infantry and cut route paths. Hopefully I choose the flank without the AT gun and win the armor duel with minimal casualties."
Ok, my defense...each Hillock Summit is worth 3 CVP. So I can't give them up willy nilly. I would place both Stuarts on the center hillock to cover both flanks in front of the other hillocks. The ATR would be positioned to defend the Stuarts if Dan sent armor directly up the middle. My AT Gun was positioned back on the large hillock. I also put my 8-1, an MMG and the mortar on this hillock. I definitely wanted to encourage Dan to attack the north side. I felt this would slow Dan down the most and allow my Turn 3 Crusaders to get into the battle before Dan could take the center hill. I assumed I would lose one hillock. So in the north, I had placed two 4-5-7's on that hillock to try and hold out for as long as possible.
Now I've played this game for a long time...and setting up a good defense continues to elude me. Sometimes I get lucky...but trust me kind readers...tonight's game was not one of those occasions...
"Here they come Lad's! and right where we hoped they would!!"
"Eh mates...did'y hear the Lieutenant now...the Jerries are coming right where they expected...well isn't that lucky...but why did they place the bleed'n 2 Pounder 30 hexes way!?!"
My AT Gun Crew...
"Eh wot fellas...the 2 pounder's gone diffy…"
Dan's Schwerpunkt was completely unharmed...and in position to assault the first Hillock.
"Looks like Jerry got a few tanks out there..."
Well...that didn't go well...and Dan now had 1 VP.
"Oh look honey...a bag of Epic FAIL...let's open it!!"
At least my infantry was playing some ASL!!!
As Turn 2 ended, my boys on the north hillock were surrounded.
They would not survive to see Turn 3.
Before
AFTER...
My last remaining Crusader would knock out a MK III in Advancing Fire.
Dan had successfully channeled his inner Erwin Rommel!
A last look at a dismal effort on my part. These are the kind of defeats that you don't like to experience very often.
"Don't worry mate...there's always next time!"
And now for Dan's Post Game Comments:
"The plan worked. Another victory for the Schwerpunkt. Although my tactics were helped greatly by the AT gun rolling a boxcars on a intensive fire shot and being eliminated. I attacked the north flank and got across the board with little damage. The half tracks were able to unload infantry and exit without loss. The Germans then won armored battle and made this scenario look easy. Many things worked in the Germans favor including bad to hit rolls for the Brits. The scenario is a fun desert action and my thanks to Grumble Jones for a fun game!"
Dan and I will return next Saturday for a playing of Scenario MM09 Old Child Harbor from the Kansas City ASL Club's Texel Pack. This was recently mentioned by Oliver Gray during his interview with the 2-Half Squads. So...Dan and I thought...yeah....next game is from the Texel Pack.
We will see you then!!
Hey Scott. Man I love the desert game. The map in this one looks fantastic. I have got to get more actual "desert" scenarios done. I gotta say, the high number of targets were tempting, but if I only have one serious AT asset in the game, IF is a non-starter for me. Unless it it crunch time. Looks like fun!
ReplyDeleteIt's a good scenario. Defeating Schwerpunkts is just plain tough. Naturally, they go where you are weakest and on a map this size..that's pretty easy to find. If I play it again, I place the Stuarts hull down on the hillock summits of the small upfront hills. I would then place the 2 pounder on the long hill between them. But this leave the big hill to the south undefended. It's a pro-British scenario...so I'm either missing something or just plain incompetent...which his possible!! Good luck in Texas my friend. I'll miss not seeing you yet another year.
DeleteTwo comments on the defense:
ReplyDelete* There are two opportunities for the Brits to set up hull down, either behind & adjacent to the hillocks, or in the wadis. You didn't use either.
* Don't Intensive Fire! IF is a no-no until things are desperate!
I believe if you had done these two things, the mid-game would have been very interesting when the Crusaders came on. Note that they also can try to get to the wadi to get HD status.