Our Saturday Game - ASL Scenario 40 Fort McGregor

For our Saturday game - Dan Best and I found ourselves in the deserts of Tunisia in 1943. Dan has been diligently working through the West of Alamein scenarios that he neglected to play in his ASL youth. I too was kind of remiss in playing those same scenarios. My British have soldiered on from Burma to Crete to Norway to France to Germany...but rarely have they found themselves deployed on the desert boards of 25 - 30. As I have remarked in previous posts. I shied away from DTO games along with most of my play group. We were a bit lazy in those days and just didn't want to make the deep rules dives that can be required to play some of the DTO scenarios. And I imagine we weren't alone in making those sorts of choices. The ROAR stats show this scenario with 27 German and 16 British wins. The ASL Archive shows it with 5 German and 1 British win. These are fairly low numbers for a scenario as old as this one. Hard to believe that there are only 43 recorded playing's. 

I'm actually very grateful that Dan is working his way through these scenarios. Quite candidly, I would not be playing them otherwise. And I wish I had a good reason for why I avoid WoA scenarios...but I don't. It's just plain laziness and a desire for "less rules" ASL. 

Sometimes, you need to be prodded and pulled to step outside your comfort zone and learn something new. 2020 has been full of DTO and PTO scenarios, which has been really good for me. I've been playing through SK4 with my opponent in St. Louis. I don't blog those games, but we have had a blast playing the PTO Starter Kit scenarios. And of course, I'm slowly learning the rules and nuances of playing in Jungle and Desert terrain. Environment is such an omnipresent part of both DTO and PTO games. A Russian Front scenario seems tame and quaint in comparison!! 

Of course, you must remember that it's really only as hard as you yourself make it. For decades I convinced myself that DTO and PTO were just too difficult to play on a regular basis. In 2020I have already played 20 games...of which 7 have been PTO and 3 DTO scenarios. So half of this year's scenarios have been outside my normal comfort zone. And I feel more confident in playing scenarios in these two theaters with each completed scenario. So....if you have not dipped your toes in the sands of DTO or the alligator infested creeks of the PTO...I highly recommend that you give a shot! 

Now Fort McGregor...while it's a DTO scenario is also a NIGHT Scenario. Awesome...let's really play some full rules ASL!!! And there are some interesting SSR's for this scenario as well. After setup, the playing area receives a Bombardment....oooohhh...won't that be fun....(not!). And of course Illuminating Rounds and Star Shells will be in abundance. This scenario is going to have a little bit of a lot of things! 

A look at where this scenario took place. I always pictured this scenario in Libya, so was surprised to see that it was in Northern Tunisia. It's such a classic open desert battle, that I just don't generally think Tunisia. 

Fort McGregor in all its barb wire glory. The British set up inside with Germans are on all sides of the fort. The dark shaded hexes in the center are two hillock locations, which are the German objective. This is going to be a wooly and wild scenario!

As the defending British, I would command the men  of D Company, 1st East Surreys. My force would consist of 10 x 4-5-8's, and 4 x 2-4-8's led by a 9-1, 8-1, and 8-0 with an HMG, 5 x LMG's and 3 x 50 MTR's. I would also have 15 x foxholes and 4 x sangars. The East Surreys had a long and distinguished history beginning in 1881 and carrying on through Ypres in World War I and of course World War II. 

In order to win the scenario, my British had to keep control of the two Hillock summits and keep the  Germans from getting 20 VP and more than the British.

As the attacking Germans, Dan would command the men of the Fallschirmjaeger Regiment 5. This force would consist of 18 x 5-4-8's and 5 x 2-3-8's led by a 9-2, 9-1, 8-1 and 3 x 8-0's with 2 x MMG's, and 8 x LMG's. Man...this is a tough force. No wonder they lead the wins on ROAR!!

And now for Dan's Pre-Game Comments:

“The German are attacking the fort from three sides.  Due to SSR the Germans cannot Schwerpunkt and must attack from all three sides.  I will use cloaking to give dummy units by stacking three squads with the 9-2 (and both MMG) and two squads with each 9-1 and 8-1 leader.  An 8-0 will back up each assault side.  I will not deploy to keep the advantage in CC.  The main tactic is to close and attack each position in CC.  Then use the British foxholes as a firebase for the next round of attacks and slowly constrict on the hillock summit.  Hopefully the bombardment will open some holes in the wire or else the wire could be the most difficult point of attack.”

As night begins to fall over Fort McGregor...the British 9-1 and 8-1 confer...let's listen in..."Sir, I've pulled all the lads inside the wire perimeter. There'll be no moon tonight...so should pitch black if Jerry pays a visit." Lt. Grainger....you see the dust rising to the north, south and east of us...that's Jerry heading this way. Prepare the lads...it will be a long...or rather a short night."

 I would receive 3 HIP units. Both hillocks would be HIP and my 8-1 at the SE corner. I placed LMG's at all corners of Fort McGregor with the intent of placing fire lanes across all four sides. The +1 night TEM would not affect fire lane residuals...so I hoped I could lay down enough tracers to keep Jerry behind the wire. My mortars primary mission would be to fire illuminating rounds...but as you will see...this effort came to nothing.

"Lads...you see those flashes on the horizon...Jerry artillery...tell everyman to stay in their holes. A storm is inbound."

Dan's Fallschirmjaeger lie in the dark shadows of the desert floor and await the conclusion of the pre-bombardment.

By SSR, Dan would have to roll to see what hexes would be immune to the bombardment. Everything else would be hit. Dan's rolls a dr three times...1, 1, 1...OH MAN you're killing me!!! Then 7, 8, and 10 would finalize the rolls. So...the hillocks were in 1's and 10's, so were immune as were many of my other positions by complete dumb luck.

The pre-bombardment would utterly wreck Fort McGregor. 14 wire positions would be obliterated one 4-5-8 would be broken and never rally and a 2-4-8 with a Mortar would be KIA'd.

Man...was that ugly...good grief...my wire perimeter was a total shambles and Dan would not have to deal with a single wire hex.

"Tell Lt. Grainger to prepare for the attack. The wire perimeter has been compromised...so expect Jerry to infiltrate."

Dan's Paras rushed across the desert floor as the last flickers of the bombardment faded away. I would fail to get an IR round...but my 8-0 would launch a star shell which would help slow the German assault on the NE edge...but the Germans would penetrate through all the other gaps. I would get rate of fire with my HMG and thanks to the 4 NVR (increased after Dan's initial wind change DR). I would fire at a cloaked unit and lo and behold it was the German 9-2 with 3 x 5-4-8's and both dismantled MMG's. By the time my MG stopped firing...the 9-2 and all three squads were dead on the sand. Whoa....unbelievable and completely and unexpected....but much like our Turning the Tables scenario...Dan's top leader and fire group were eliminated while moving.

My HMG team would turn in good service throughout the scenario.

 Dan had 18 x 5-4-8 squads, so the loss of three would still leave him with 15 to win the battle. It was a huge morale boost for my boys and relieved some initial pressure in the center.

A look at what I had left in place at the end of Turn 1.  I was in trouble all along the perimeter. And Dan's Paras were already past the wire and into the fort interior.

My boys were hanging on...but just barely.

 After just one turn, it was clear that Dan's Germans were going to keep pressing from all sides.

 Turn 2...only two turns...good grief was this a tough game!! Turn 1 had been exhausting. 

Close combat...A sniper had broken my LMG position on the SW corner. The flood gates were opened in the south. And Dan's Paras swarmed me in close combat.

Of the 5 close combats...I would lose three and be caught in MELEE for the remaining 2. The Paras were simply too tough.

 Dan was pressing ever closer.

I was in real trouble. But  I had inflected losses on Dan as well. At this point in the game, I was still leading in VP. I had to hang on to the Hillock summits. It was my only chance.

 Turn 3 - the Fallschirmjaeger came on. I would not be successfully in pushing them back.

 Two more close combats and I would  lose one.

I still had my 9-1 and HMG position. With that I could hang on...maybe...but then disaster....utter...total disaster....

My 9-1...the rock of my defense...

Suddenly a KAR-98 cracks...a single shot from the Fallschirmjaeger sniper....and in an instant my 9-1 is kllled and my HMG squad broken. My defense was undone...

I almost conceded...but Dan still didn't have any of the Hillock summits and still had not yet passed me in points. And I still had one 4-5-8 that could move into the HMG hex and try and hang on. So not yet Mr. Dan Best...not yet!!!

Yeah...what he said!!!

Ok...well....my defiance was short lived as Dan's Fallschirmjaeger finished off my boys and took a squad prisoner. With that Dan had 24 VP to my 17...oh and he had the two Hillock Summit hexes for the immediate win. I had given it my best...but Dan was not to be denied tonight.

Sunrise...and my boys are marched off the hillock as POW's. My congrats to Dan on a great win. Dan's ASL strengths were on display throughout the game. A focused and relentless attack wtih all hands on deck got it done. The loss of my wire perimeter and the hard hits I sustained from the German sniper were huge aids to Dan's successful assault. This scenario is definitely tough on the  British, but had my 9-1 and HMG stayed in action...I might have repelled one or more of the attacks. What if's are fun to contemplate...

And now for Dan's Post-Game Comments:

“The plan worked.  The bombardment cleared 14 hexes of wire.  Allowing all three sides to move through the wire.  The 9-2 stack was caught in a crossfire and shot to pieces.  Stacking did not pay off although the dummy cloaking counters absorbed a great deal of fire power.  The NVR increased to four hexes which aided the Germans once they captured the first set of foxholes as they had more firepower.  The real German advantage was in CC where they bailed hay and made up the CVP deficit, three times entering CC with broken units to mop up.  The sniper aided the attack by getting a break on a squad and giving the coup de grace on the British 9-1 opening the final assault on the hillock summit.  This scenario is a great night action but is hard on the British.  This scenario has been on my play list for 32 years.  My thanks to Grumble Jones for a great game!”

Dan's Fallschirmjaeger would savor a hard won victory and enjoy some Iron Cross swag!

Dan and I will be back "slugging it out" 

on Wednesday for a playing of 

ASL Scenario J177 - Coup de Main at Hamminkeln.

We will see you then. 

And please stay safe.