Hey there...bet you're surprised to see me! I'm surprised to be here blogging. I hadn't expected to play a Saturday game. But Dan returned early from vacation and of course was rearing to go with some ASL. And while we would certainly play some ASL...it would prove to be a very short game after my personal ELR completely cratered on Turn 3. Oh yeah...I conceded after getting drilled one more time during the Turn 3 Movement Phase. Sometimes ASL is just completely unforgiving. My first tank shot would come up no Smoke and my second shot for some WP would be a 12. REALLY?? I would go on to roll high throughout the game and suffer four of the dreaded boxcars. The extremes in ASL can really bring you up or take you down. Tonight's game would take me down...down to Nazi Town!!!
RPT50 Nazi Town is one of the scenarios in Rally Point's excellent Volume 5 Thunderbird Pack. Fans of the US 45th Infantry Division will definitely want to get this pack, if you don't already own it.
Designed by Bill Sisler, ROAR has this scenario with 7 German and 3 American wins. Set on Board 45, this is a hard city fight against fanatic SS squads. The attacking Americans are veteran 6-6-7 squads with three Sherman Tanks for support.
Nazi Town refers to Nuernberg, which if often remembered for it many Nazi rallies. It certainly was significant city to Nazi mythology. It's huge rallies are probably unmatched in the modern era. And the Nazi Kongresshalle planned to be built in Nuernberg can still be seen today in its unfinished state.
Peter stands outside a subway entrance.
My first time in Nuernberg was in 1985 during the 175th Anniversary of Oktoberfest. I was traveling with my good friend, Peter to Munich then to Berchtesgaden and then to Salzburg. The train was packed as we traveled by rail in the late evening. There were no available seats, so Peter and I stood in the hallway. I became the object of amusement of several German girls as I kept falling as I couldn't stay awake. It was a brutal train ride as I recall. But making German girls laugh...priceless!
We arrived in Nuernberg at 2 AM. The next train to Munich didn't leave until 5 AM. So Peter and I explored Nuernberg in the chill and quiet fall evening. We watched the sun come up and had the streets all to ourselves. I mean...not a single other person was out walking around. Overall...pretty cool experience.
In 2002, I returned to Nuernberg while working for Siemens. My boss at the time had met his wife in Nuernberg. He had been an US Army Captain serving in West Germany and was in command of a tactical nuke battery (his story...not mine). His wife was also in West Germany teaching English. They met and so Nuernberg was a very special place to Joe, so he made sure we took time to explore.
You will note that this street in my picture is the very same as the one above. There are very rare moments in your life when you actually stand in places of great historical importance and walk the same cobble stones as arguably the greatest monsters created by the 20th Century. For better or worse, Nuernberg is very much that kind of place.
Today, Nuernberg is better remembered for its wonderful Kristkindlmarkt which takes place in the square pictured above. I highly recommend a visit to Nuernberg if you find yourself in Germany. It is a wonderful place. Certainly, one of my favorite cities in Germany.
The Kristkindlmarkt is on my bucket list to attend. Hopefully someday.
As the attacking Americans, I would command the men of the 179th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division. My force would consist of 4 x 6-6-7's and 7 x 6-6-6's led by a 10-2, 9-1, and 8-1 with 2 x MMG's, 2 x BAZ 45's, 2 x DC's, 1 x Sherman 75 and 2 x Sherman 105's.
.svg.png)
The "Thunderbird" Division served in combat in the ETO for over 500 days. The 45th would be one of Patton's favorite divisions during the fighting on Sicily. The Thunderbirds would land again at Salerno and then at Anzio, where their defensive stand at the Via Anziate would enshrine both their valor and sacrifice.
After the horrors of Anzio, the division would land in Southern France with Operation Dragoon and advance to the French-German border. Hard fighting in the Voges Mountains against the 6th SS Mountain Division would once again test the mettle of this veteran division.
Once inside Germany, the division would ultimately reach Nuernberg and then Munich, where it would liberate Dachau.
The 179th Infantry Regiment would see tremendous number of days of combat both in World War II and the Korean War.
One of the great aspects of Rally Point scenarios is the listing of source materials. This is very rare to see and certainly very welcome. I own this particular volume and it is a great and easy read about the Thunderbirds.
Alex Kershaw's more recent volume, The Liberator is another outstanding book about the 45th. It's primary focus in on Felix Sparks, who would gain considerable fame for his leadership during the war.
If you have to choose between the two books, I'll recommend going with the Liberator. Kershaw is a great writer and really brings you into the story. And Felix Sparks' story is one of the greatest to come out of the Second World War. Truly, an American hero.
Netflix is currently offering a 4-part series based on the The Liberator. It's an illustrated over live action type of movie. You might recall Sam Bakshi's Lord of the Ring movie, which used a similar kind of technology. I really enjoyed The Liberator and highly recommend it.
As the defending Germans, Dan would command the men of SS Panzergrenadier Regiment 38, SS Panzergrenadier Division 17 "Gotz Von Berlichingen. Dan's force would consist of 2 x 5-4-8's, 6 x 4-4-7's and 2 x 2-2-8's led by an 8-1 and 7-0 with a Hero, an MMG, an LMG, a Panzerschreck, 37L AA Gun and 88LL AT Gun.
The 17th would be formed in 1943 in France. It would spend the war on the Western Front. At Normandy, it would square off against the 101st Airborne at Carentan.
It would suffer heavy losses during the retreat out of the Falaise Pocket, and most notably on Death Night against the 2ns Armored Division. It would survive Normandy and remain in the fight to the bitter end.
To win the game, the Americans must control all the ground level hexes of the 45J3 building. I've never liked being the attacker on this board. I've not done well in scenarios using it.
And now for Dan's Pre-Game Comments:
"The SS thugs must defend the ground level of the large building on board 45. They get six rubble placements and one fortified building location. I will set up the rubble to channel the vehicles into the AT gun. Rubble will be in U10, U9, U8, U7, T6 and T5. The fortified building will be L2. The 5-4-8 with LMG will set up in T6 concealed. A 4-4-7 with PSK in Q4 concealed and the 5-4-8 with hero in L2 concealed. The 88mm AT will be in P2 and the 37mm AA in N2. The 8-1 with a 4-4-7 MMG will be in second level of J3. Hopefully the tanks can be knocked out before the American firepower kills the crews."
A look at the American start line and the objective. All German units should have been concealed. Dan and I overlooked this at the start, but most gained concealment at the start of play...so no harm no foul.
My 10-2 and 9-1 go over their attack plan.
Turn 1 American is a tale of dice rolls. My bottom Sherman 105 tries to place smoke...no smoke...next shot is for WP...but I roll boxcars and MALF my MA...right off the bat.
Next my 8-1 with both MMG's shoots down the road where I believe the German 88LL AT Gun is located. I roll snakes and kill the crew. The rest of the turn is pretty mundane.
The successful hit on Dan's 88LL AT Gun would be my only success of the game.
Turn 2 American - I try to take advantage of the situation at the bottom of the map. With the 88LL AT Gun out of action, I had a real chance to exploit and reach the objective building. But it wasn't to be. Dan's dice were hot and he was zapping me during my dashes and then my 10-2 stack with three squads would be bused up by the German 37L AA Gun...which was right behind the 88LL AT Gun. I did not see that coming. All three squads with the 10-2 would break. This was the game winning moment for the Germans. And straight up confirmation that moving in stacks is a bad idea.
(Yes...this is a 20mm AA Gun...but it gives you the idea.)
My 10-2 and his broken squads would stay with their tank. He could rally them on a 6. But things weren't going well for me. The Melee up top should have been won by me...but I rolled a 10 (as usual in close combat). Dan then reinforced the Melee with a half-squad to get the odds to 1-1. I rolled a 7 and he rolled a 4. My squad was gone. My MALF'd tank would roll a 6 on the Repair roll and be recalled. My 10-2 would rally one squad, but a 12 would casualty reduce one of the other two. Dan would fire a Panzerschreck at my last 105 Sherman (protecting my 10-2 stack of misery) and destroy it. He would casualty reduce from the backblast...but what the heck...both US 105 Shermans were out of the game and had done nothing.
I was starting to lose it...
"Heinrich...ve haf die Amerikaner's now...they are on zer knees."
My prayers would go unanswered. In Prep Fire, I would take a 56 factor + 4 shot at Dan's next door Melee winners. You guess it...I rolled a "12". Damn this game sometimes. My 10-2 would also fail to do anything with a 12 factor flat shot. My dice were too busy ramming me from behind. Then I stupidly tried to send my 75 Sherman over some rubble to get into the German backfield. Naturally, I rolled an "11" and bogged.
"What do you mean...we're stuck!!?"
And then came the final straw. My 9-1 and three squads dashed across the street. A German 4-3-7 fired 2 factors down 2. Dan rolls a 3. My 9-1 is KIA'd, and one squad casualty reduces with the leader loss MC. I was done and gave the concession.
A last look at a painful experience. I would likely eliminate the squad and half-squad up top that had been pinned by my worthless 56 factor shot, but 10-2 was being decimated by the 37L AA Gun and Dan's MMG. I was broken in the center with no officer available to rally boys. I was done...no two ways about it. Dan's dice vs mine told a lot of the story. I roll a 12 with 56 factors and Dan rolls a 3 with 2. Kinda summed up this game for me.
Now dice aside, I pushed ahead in stacks, which was a huge mistake. Many of my losses were because of stacks, excepting the Melee. So, I do think better tactics on my part would have minimized some of the damage, but there's still nothing I can do about terrible die rolls. Averaging 9-10 on your rolls is a recipe for disaster. And so it was. Congrats to Dan on a great defense that did what it was supposed to do for a solid German victory.
And now for Dan's Post Game Comments:
"The plan worked. More due to terrible dice rolls by Grumble Jones. One tank was recalled due to loss of MA and another fell to the PSK. The final bogged in rubble. The Americans were then pinned down and under fire. Grumble Jones conceded on turn 3 seeing little chance of success with bad rolls and the SS defense in depth preventing movement across the streets. This scenario favors the SS and very tough for the attacker. It is good to be back in some ASL after three weeks off."
That's it for now.
Dan and I will return next week
for more thrilling ASL
(Unless I concede early...like that ever happens!?!).
We will see you then!
No comments:
Post a Comment