Our Saturday Game - ASL Scenario 289 The Hunters Become the Hunted

The arrival of March has brought warmer temperatures to Oklahoma. We enjoyed sunshine and 60 degree weather this morning. A nice walk along the Arkansas River Trails energized us for the afternoon game of ASL. Dan and I would play ASL Scenario 289 The Hunters Become the Hunted. This is a larger scenario that runs 9 turns and has four reinforcements for the defending Italians. Designed by Mark Pitcavage, this scenario focuses on the effort of German Fallschirmjaeger under the command of Major Walter Gericke to capture the headquarters of Italian General Mario Roatta at Orisni Castle in the town of  Monterotondo. 

Gericke's career would extend through World War II and would involve service as a General in the West German Bundeswehr.

He would participate in the Invasion of Holland, the battle for Crete, the Battle of Rome, and Anzio.

He would receive the Knights Cross with Oakleaves.

Italian General Mario Roatta had a long military career that began with service in World War One. He would see action on the Albanian, Italian and French fronts. Roatta would fight in Spain for Franco's forces and endear himself to Franco, which would benefit him after war. In the second World War, Roatta's behavior in Yugoslavia would make him into a war criminal. A quick Google search will explain this in more detail. Roatta would take command in Sicily in 1943, before being removed after some of his comments insulted Sicilians. Later, he would be placed in command of the defense of Rome. He would flee Orsini Castle long before Gericke's men arrived. At the end of the war, he would escape to Spain to avoid extradition to Yugoslavia to face his crimes. He would escape justice altogether.

General Mario Roatta was the Chief of Staff of the Italian Army. The Germans committed Gericke and the 2nd Battalion, 6th Regiment, 2nd Fallshirmjaeger Division. Gericke's men would be dropped into combat with many of his men scattered as much as 4km from the drop zone. Gericke gathered the available Fallschirmjaeger and fought his way into Monterotondo and to Orisni Castle.

In this scenario, this tower is represented by a steeple counter. During our playing I would place an 8-1 and a 1-3-6 with an MMG. They would achieve one of the hardest hits on Dan's advancing Fallschirmjaeger.

As the attacking Germans, Dan would command elements of Bataillon II, Fallschirmjaeger-Regiment 6, Fallschirmjaeger-Division 2. This force would consist of 14 x 5-4-8's led by a 9-2, 9-1, 8-1 and 7-0 with an HMG, MMG, 4 x LMG's, 2 x 50 MTR's and a DC.

As the defending Italians, I would command a disparate force with elements of 58 Reggimento, 10 Divisione Fanteria "Piave", and armed civilians. My total force (4 reinforcement groups) would consist of 16 x 3-4-6's, and 7 x 3-3-6's led by a 9-1, 3 x 8-1's, an 8-0, and a 7-0 with 2 x MMG's, 9 x LMG's, a 45 MTR, a 75L AA Gun, a 20L AA Gun and 2 x Tanks.

Additionally, 9 x Prisoner counters are placed in the three Cellar locations of the Orsini Castle building. These units represent HQ staff and remain in place until captured. They would not factor in our playing of the scenario.

The battle space is tight, but there is a fair amount of good cover for the Germans to approach the target. 

And now for Dan's Pre-Game Comments:

"The Germans are attacking to capture the castle on the overlay.  The attack will be a Schwerpunkt on board 49 and into the overlay.  Once in the castle they will mop it up and send the prisoner off the board to exit.  Hopefully they can move through the divided Italian set up with few casualties."

My forces on Board 41 would be positioned with movement in mind, but by SSR had to be in a building numbered 6 or greater. So, I was somewhat limited in choices for them. On Board 49, I created a single MLR with a pillbox anchoring the east flank. 

Turn 1 German - Dan doesn't waste time and CX'd his boys up and into the action. I would take a single shot and pin a 5-4-8. 

Turn 1 Italian - my forces on Board 41 move to assist the defense at Orsini Castle. Dan's forces were concentrated in the center of Board 49. I would break a 2-3-8 with a MTR on the south hill. I would also break my LMG in the far east Pillbox (it's marked as an MMG, but was in fact an LMG).

Turn 2 German - this would be the decisive turn in our game. Yes, this is a 9 Turn Game, but Dan and I came to grips quickly and with deadly results. Dan's effort was to turn my east flank and move directly to the Orisini Castle. 

My 8-1 in the tower would watch as the Fallschirmjaeger advanced.

Dan's Turn 2 assault would be repulsed with heavy loss. Dan's boys would be broken and KIA'd. The two squads with the 9-1 would be KIA'd along with a 2-3-8 by my 8-1 with the MMG. My single squad in the east Pillbox would break everyone that moved adjacent. His last Final Protective Fire would be a SNAKES, which broke the Germans and then made my 3-4-6 go Berserk.

Turn 2 Italian - after the Germans routed back, I would move my forces from the west towards Board 49. Despite, his losses, Dan was poised to flank me. My Berserk squad charge to their deaths as a 22 FP shot -4 obliterated them.

Dan's boys had serious firepower and it was tough to stand up to with 6 morale squads.

 A look at the extent of Dan's advance at the end of 2 Turns. There was a single 5-4-8 in CC on the far west flank and another 5-4-8 was trying to crack open my second Pillbox. 

Turn 3 German - Dan would continue to turn my east flank. 

As Dan's part of Turn 3 came to an end, he was still in CC on the west hill and on my center Pillbox. He had also completed his flank effort and would also kill my 20L AA Gun crew in CC. Dan would win the Pillbox CC.

Turn 3 Italian - I reinforce the Melee on the west hill, while my first reinforcements arrive on the south edge and push onto the south hill. 

Final picture of the game. As Turn 3 ended, Dan would give the concession for an Italian Win. The Germans had suffered very heavy losses with 7 squads KIA'd out of the original 14. Turn 4 would mean more reinforcements and then two tanks would arrive on the very next turn. With Italians coming from the west and south, it was clearly getting worse for the Germans with each passing turn. Even Gericke had been broken by the Italian 8-1 and MMG with the squad with Gericke being KIA'd. The math going forward didn't bode well for a German win. So, Dan decided three full turns and three hours was sufficient for this night's ASL. I really couldn't argue with Dan's assessment. My thanks to Dan for a fun and fast-moving game. 

It had been a rough game for Dan's Fallschirmjaeger. The scenario had gone much the same way as the historical fight. In both cases, the Germans reached the objective, but then would be surrounded and potentially overrun by the Italian reinforcements.

And now for Dan's Post Game Comments:

The plan did not work. The Germans took too many casualties losing seven squads by the end of turn 3 and two 8-1 leaders (one created and lost in CC).  The German were rapidly losing the punch to take the castle.  Congrats to Grumble Jones on a great defense and good win!

And now for a quick bonus look at a Lone Canuck Scenario from the Grossdeutschland 3 Pack. Dan and I just finished a quick game from this pack. Scenario GD 17 Opening Move, which is the first scenario in this pack.

This third pack from Lone Canuck focuses on the action of the Grossdeutschland during the Battle of Kursk. 

This is a 6-1/2 turn scenario that plays extremely quickly. The Russians must defend a Machine Gun nest with an 8-1, 2 x 4-5-8's and a 2-2-8 crew with the HMG in the bunker.  Trenches, Wire and an obscene amount of mines. I would roll a 6 on the reinforcements and get another 24 factors for a total Mine Factors of 72, which would basically win me the scenario. That's a lot of mines. In fact, this scenario is really the German grenadiers vs. the mines.

Dan would attack on the east edge and run into mines left and right. Dan would keep his personal ELR intact despite the heavy losses sustained. By game end, the Germans had lots 5 of 7 squads KIA'd. And yet the game ended with a Melee over the Russian Pillbox. It was that close.

SSR's direct how to set up the machine gun nest. I would surround my bunker with mines and wires. I would leave a single gap right in front of my bunker...and yes...that's exactly where Dan would successfully penetrate my defense. Good grief...

Dan's reinforcement group would be two 81 MTR's. I set up up my bunker where my it would have a 12 range shot where I believed Dan would have to set up his mortars. I chose correctly and would get some good breaks on the mortar teams and suffer no damage from the mortars.

Dan's mortars would successfully make smoke, but in the next turn, Rain would occur and removed the smoke.

I didn't take a lot of pictures for this game. I just wanted to give you a flavor of how this small scenario plays out. Dan would suffer greatly from my mines, but his 8-0 Officer would get into my trench early in the game and die in Close Combat with my 8-1 officer who would be wounded during the fight. 

Dan would manage to get a 4-6-8 with a Hero into the back trench behind my bunker, but my 4-5-8 would successfully tie them up in Melee until the end of Turn 6-1/2. Dan would win the melee, but would not be able to affect my bunker. His 9-1 tried to lead the last German 4-6-8 directly at the bunker. The squad would pin in a minefield, but the leader would charge onto the bunker, because I rolled a 12 when shooting my HMG at him. Figures...

Dan's 8-1 KIA'd, Dan's 9-1 would end the scenario in Melee on the bunker, and Dan's 8-0 who would be KIA'd in close combat with the Russian 8-1.

The Russian 8-1 would be wounded, but would successfully lead the final defense of the bunker. The Russians would lose a 4-5-8 out of the two they had. The Germans would have 5 x 4-6-8's and an 8-1 and 8-0 Officer KIA'd.  A very rough game for the German player. My thanks to Dan for what was a fun game that went to the very last close combat die roll. Those are always the best scenarios. 

That's all for now. 

Dan and I will return next week for scenarios from the Covered Pack 

and Drop Zone Sainte-Mere-Eglise.

We will see you then!!!