ASL100 – REGALBUTO RIDGE
Chris Walton Defending as the British
Legion Attacking as the Germans.
Legion asked me to chose scenario and side – very generous
My set up was designed so as to build foxholes right across the ridge, to provide positive DRM and rout and movement choices. When I saw the German set up I wondered if I had chosen the right side – the Germans have a lot of very good quality, heavy troops. His first shot KIAd one of my 458s!
He tried to tempt me with HS scouts, but I resisted the temptation. When he started moving units for real I got my own back for the KIA, by rolling a 1,1 and broke him with a shot out of smoke. Three squads and four half squads moved and I have broken two of his units and he has killed one of mine. Moves continue and I continue to get things wrong – claiming FFMO when not applicable; shooting with no LOS – I cannot judge when LOS goes through TEM adjacent to firer.
His advance is rather unlucky – my DFF breaks four of his units and pins two more (so far) including a 2-2 shot that breaks an 838AE, pins another and breaks an 8-0. End of movement and he has suffered a bit, but is making good use of the terrain to minimise my lines of sight.
My turn and I got a ROF fest with my 76 MTR, two WP shots, removing one half squad, and two HE shots. Went on my entrenchment jag and sent off the log file. THEN I realised I was using spotted fire so all my ROF shots were NA Rest of my first move fairly mundane.
Second turn and Legion’s prep fire is deadly 2 units KIA; 2 (inc 9-2) broken. Only bright spot is that one of his guns is out of smoke. And this is the thanks I get for pointing out (and rolling successfully) a missed SR for an 838! Legions email enclosing this log read (in its entirety) “Sometimes I hate VASL”. This is a feeling shared for the dice rolls – after 1 game turn; and a little of the next player turn, we have already had five snake-eyes, and two(?) boxcars. And a little further into the movement phase we have now had six snake-eyes.
Legion’s advance continues virtually unhindered by the fire I can bring to bear. Now he has a HS adjacent to me; two heroes and two fanatic ML8 squads two and three hexes away from my troops. His two HOB rolls so far have both battle hardened Squads and created a hero. The dice rolls have given him a window which he is exploiting very well – to my discomfort. He is exploiting LOS to the maximum, and I am unable to get many decent shots off.
My turn two and I get another entrenchment and with my prep fire manage to break two squads; CR another and pin the resultant HS. I hope most of my moves are out of his LOS so am anticipating (relatively) lighter DF. (I may live to regret this statement) So far in turn two things are going reasonably, though he does remove another HS of mine. Rally phase very bad no rallies no recoveries.
Third turn his Prep Fire is fairly ineffective, and I am pleased with the defensive position I have got – the south side of the hill covering the north west hill edge; the centre to break up a frontal effect; the small mortar covering attempts to get behind me; the large mortar reserved for his large stacks; and cover for the back of the hill.
His advance gets mangled by my “along the crest line defence” firing across the hill. Movement not yet finished but he already has three bDM units and 1 1KIA. Subsequent movement does get him a hero onto the second level of the hill, with him threatening to get a 468/9-1/Hero/LMG stack behind the hill. I fired at this stack with those units guarding the back, thus dooming my broken 458 to capture in the rout phase for failure to rout. The subsequent surrender is turned down as Legion declares No Quarter – at least now I will always be able to low crawl – I think this is potentially useful for me.
The end of his third turn and the start of my third turn lead to each of his fanatic squads generating a Hero from HOB – he now has four heroes, and two fanatics (one broken at present). I joke that he is going for the VCs (greater squad equivalency on the hills) by SMC Squad Equivalency. I devise a cunning plan involving opportunity firing the mortar; moving the spotter to see one of his hero stacks; and firing in the advancing fire phase. This provokes a rule discussion as to whether Ordnance can Opportunity Fire. In the event it can, I will move my spotter and take the shot, but first I will tempt him by having my 8-0 leader adjacent to several of his big stacks assault move away, but spend one MF to try and pick up a LMG. In addition I will be moving units including the spotter in such an order to draw his fire before I try to withdraw my MMG squad.
My disengagement from his forces costs me dearly in broken units, but largely is successful, though I lose another MMC and my 9-2 leader. My cunning plan/sleaze move(?) of opportunity firing the mortar, and using the movement phase to move the spotter to a point where he can see a useful stack is fairly successful, inflicting the only damage this turn on his units. However subsequent discussion suggests it is not legal – depending on if movement makes the putative spotter not eligible as one.
Turn 4 his assault continues and is breaking me up very badly. Most units are broken; my DFF has no effect. As the assault goes on it becomes evident that if he plays out this turn with the competence he has played so far he will effectively wipe me out as a fighting force. At the end of the attack phases, 80% of my forces are broken. Unless I get a run of luck such as lead to Legions four heroes in the rally phase, this cannot go on much longer. In the CC phase he continues his progress – all his CCs are successful; one of mine CRs him. In the process he rolls another 1,1. I roll up the rally phase for my turn 4 and concede after I see the results. All my broken units are DM; adjacent to his GO units; what unbroken units I have will have to achieve a kill ratio of about 4:1 on his (well dispersed) force; and I cannot see a way forward. We start discussing what we are going to play next.