J05 – BIZORY LOVES COMPANY
Legion attacking as the Germans
KC attacking as the US
ROAR (US:G – 10:21) – 7th March, 2007
Out of the blue opponents present themselves; KC and I both have a desire to write AARs and he really wanted to play this scenario, it was only natural that our electronic-cardboard men would come to blows!
Initial Thoughts
In the depths of a Dutch winter SS troopers attempt to overrun some US positions on board 42. There is snow on the ground and the woods hexes are pine (1.5 MF to enter and level 2 obstacle). US paratroopers can be dug-in (free foxholes) and must have 2 forward pickets (at least 1HS + foxhole in both I5 and G3). Coming on from the North edge the SS must end the game with 45VP to win. They get VP normally for Southern-edge exit and double VP for each CVP gained.
On the surface this looks to be a relatively pre-German scenario. The Germans have PzKw IVs which are immune to anything except the US Baz ’45 though the 50 Cal might get lucky against the side or rear and CC is always a danger. They also have a bunch of 658 SS which are nearly the equivalent of the Para 747s in FP but out-range and out-ML them. Without a doubt though the main ace up the German’s sleeve are 3x SdKfz 7/1 AA Trucks; these can be lethal with their 20FP IFE – if this unarmoured vehicle can be kept safe from the US FP.
The US FP is not insignificant, an MMG and a 50 Cal HMG (= 12FP), the US also get a 10-2 who will no doubt be with the 50 Cal. but even this is at least matched by the SS (2x LMG, 2x MMG = 16FP).
The US will have to use the terrain to their advantage in this game or they are lost. Their only real option is to setup close to the South edge with their main force to block the exit zone while keeping a Baz (maybe) and a few units up closer to the entry board edge to force the loss of the enemy’s ? and slow the Germans down. The SS have the option of running the HTs for the exit edge, but the ground snow costs them an extra +1 MP per hex so they are going to be in the sights of the MGs for enough time to do some damage. The Germans will be forced to send their troops across either the snow or through the Pine… if they send their men through the pine woods then there will be plenty of time to shift units to meet their axis of attack.
US Setup
The US have surprised me and set up a very much forward defence with the majority of their troops in the buildings just past the G4 crossroads. While this may pose some early problems, any breakthrough is going to leave him struggling to catch my mobile forces – it also gives me the opportunity to quickly fix his men in position and eliminated them for the extra VP. He had the option to use free foxhole for any men in suitable terrain but declined their use… I think there might be a few painful lessons in store for the US commander!
[As all US units start concealed I have noted their revealed units in square brackets]
G3: 2x ?, 1S foxhole [337] – Mandatory setup
H5: 3x ? [2x 747] – This was a surprise, I expected a Baz here… I nearly lost a Squad to these guys!
I3: 3x ? [dummies]
I5: 2x ?, 1S foxhole [337] – Mandatory setup
J3: 5x ? [3x dummy, BAZ] – I have no idea what the point of this was!
J5: 4x ? [747 MMG, 9-1 (heroic)]
N6: 2x ? [747]
T4: 3x ? [ 747 Baz]
T5: 3x ? [747, 8-0]
V2: 4x ? [747 50 Cal, 10-2]
Y6: 4x ? [747 Baz, 8-1]
German Setup
The Germans have the usual late-war mixture of vehicles, including some captured US M3A1s, and a fairly potent company of SS 658s.
OOB
12x 658, 228
9-2, 2x 8-1, 7-0
2x MMG(dm), 2x LMG, PSK, 81mm MTR (dm)
2x PzKpfw IVH, 3x SdKfz 7/1, 2x M3A1 – both my PzKw IVH successfully rolled for Sz
With his units set so far forward I have a good chance to pin them in place and destroy them, my FP far out-strips his and with a bit of luck he will not, or wont be able to, run. To achieve this I have set up 3 axis of attack:
#1 The Eastern Attack Group – this is the majority of my force, it will attempt to break out ASAP and make a rush for the exit edge with some units. It will use the walls and orchards to initially protect it while I get into position:
– 2x 658, LMG, MMG, 9-2 – The main infantry attack, they will ease into battle and be used mainly to deal with his later forces
– 2x 658, 228 w. 81mm MTR – Supporting units, these will all enter separately. The MTR will especially be used for either SMOKE placement or to hit units in the pine forest.
– PzKw IVH ‘A’ – My command AFV will lead from the front. As a US forward picket (G3) does not have a SW I can move right up close and force him to either bug out or hide in his foxhole – either is fine by me! From here this AFV will try to keep any Baz units at arms length while punching a hole in his defence.
– SdKfz 7/1 – This guy is here to provide some more heavy FP and will sit back to blast exposed positions.
– 2x M3A1 – I shall use these to scout out his units; they are sacrificial and will make a run for the exit edge.
#2 The Middle Attack Group – this powerful group will move slowly to make best use of the LOS restricting terrain, it will initially attempt to cover my Eastern Group and will later use the AA Gun’s IFE to rip apart any exposed units:
– 3x 658, 8-1 – they will fan out once close to the action to ensure maximum coverage or multi-hex FG possibilities.
– 2x SdKfz 7/1 – these 2 will be my core FP, they will hold the centre and mutually support as well as act to eliminate any standing resistance.
#3 The Western Attack Group – this group is to bring him under fire and to restrict his attempts to move either forwards or backwards:
– 2x 658, LMG, MMG(dm), 8-1 – are the ‘8-1 MG stack’. These guys will move to F7 by the end of the first turn where they can bring his units under fire and start to restrict his movement either forwards or backwards.
– 3x 658, 7-0 – are to make a run for the large wooded area starting at J1 and will try to cut off rout paths as well as securing this area from reinforcement
– PzKw IVH ‘B’ – he will move to cover the US units and bring them under fire ASAP. His MG and MA strength should be able to deal with any exposed enemy.
As for fulfilling the VC I am happy to do it either way, just like a CG there is little to be gained by just breaking units, I shall be trying to KIA them while also looking for an opportunity to rush units through any gaps I open in his defence.
The Game
TURN 1
My men move on board as planned but the US do not shoot or even momentarily reveal units to expose my men from their ?… interesting… My assumptions that he is getting ready to run for the safety of the pine is confirmed when he Voluntarily Breaks one of his pickets (G3) and runs for a Stone Building (I3).
He starts to turn and run but this causes all sorts of trouble. He runs a 337 down the central road (G4-Y4) but an AA Truck is able to squeeze off a shot that CRs the HS. The other picket (the one who Voluntarily Routed) is eliminated when my 3x 658, 8-1 stack score a hit on him, this attack also reveals some dummies in this location. My final bit of ‘luck’ is a shot by the 8-1 MG stack on J5 which reveals the location of his heroic 9-1 and a 747 MMG; I have to try to wipe these guys off the map.
US: 2x 337, 3x ?
VP Gained: 4
TURN 2
I re-mantle the 8-1 MG group’s MMG which means it is unavailable for Prep; not that it mattered as my shot against his Hero was a terrible miss! Movement presents a bit of a shock when an 658 squad jumps the G3 wall and is met with fire from 2x 747 (H5) – he breaks but his sacrifice shows how little AT defence he has up front here… I felt certain this would be a Baz carrying HS! Using this knowledge I start to move in close, I drive an M3A1 into the unknown units in J3 – they do not fire which is strange as they have more units there than he has ? counters left – this is resolved when I see he has 3x dummy and a solitary Baz covered with a ? counter – weird and possibly illegal too. The other M3A1 is stunned by a powerful attack from the Heroic MMG stack as he moved through the central orchards (L2). KC retained ROF with the MMG but his CA is in the wrong direction to stop the rest of my moves and I am able to get my AFVs and AA Trucks up close to totally isolate his forward defenders.
One of the best things about playing the SS is their broken Morale of 9, with a leader’s -1 and cover, a DMed SS still only needs a 7 to Rally – 50% chance in the first roll post-breaking! Still, I chose to not attempt to rally one of my SS units as I preferred to keep my 9-2 safe under concealment. KC’s moves are very risky, he decides to attack and this means trusting the dice. Firstly I am able to break the MMGs 747 and despite a run of poor rolls I am finally able to CR him with an AA trucks 20FP. KC attempts to run a 747 (N6) out to attack my stunned M3A1 but he too gets caught in an AA truck’s meat-grinder and is broken. Finally a 30FP attack from 4x 658, 2x 8-1, LMG, MMG (F7 + G8) are able to break the 2x 747 acting as forward defenders (H5) – they are left with nowhere to rout and will be eliminated at my leisure.
US: 337
VP Gained: 6
TURN 3
I am not amused when the just broken and CR-ed MMG (K5) HS rallies, but this just gives me more incentive to shoot him… I decided to use one of my AA trucks who re-breaks the HS with the first shot and then eliminates the HS and wounds the leader with the second! From here I am free to move forward with only the unit in the upper floor of the V2 building (probably the 50 Cal, 10-2) being on my mind as a danger. I position my AFVs as a forward assault group, they can cover the tree-line and the aforementioned building with their MGs and MA. The rest of my force move up to prepare for the breakout or to position themselves to hold off any counter-attacks. I have a number of units moving through the Pine woods, they are harassing a broken 747 here but their attacks are about the only ones that miss by miles this turn. His 9-1 dies in a blaze of gunfire, succumbing to his wounds after numerous close calls. I declare No Quarter on the 2x 747 who were about to surrender (H5) and thus make my intentions clear!
KC starts off with a few shots from his 50 Cal, but the ROF runs out before he gets to do any damage… and in firing he has allowed me to see him, so my armada of units start to blast away! Again it is an AA Truck that does the damage as he manages to break the 50 Cal’s 747. I have taken the first (semi) casualty of the game with a warm sniper wounding an 8-1 leader.
US: 9-1, 2x 747, 337
VP Gained: 20
TURN 4
The US 10-2 with the broken 747 is able to Rally it immediately, but he had routed to a position where he does not have much of an ability to influence the battlefield and I move my men up as a result putting him in grave danger if he attempts to enter my LOS. I send a bunch of guys rushing through the Pines and past the blocking force he had set here – they are making for the South edge. I also attempt to get one of my M3A1’s off-map but it is killed by a Baz shot… I was happy to have revealed another unit (F5) for my masses of FP to have a shot at but I was totally surprised when a BFF shot from a PzKw IV managed to squeeze a hit with his MA and break this Baz toting unit – a total stroke of luck and unless he manages to immediately rally this opens up the exit edge to my men with the exception of his final unit in Y6.
His turn brings no joy with the rally attempt and he is now in even deeper trouble… I have units leaking, or about to leak, through his lines all over the place and his defensive options are very limited. He decides to make a desperate move on the lead unit of the 5x 658, 2x leaders who are making a run for the exit edge along the Pine wood’s path network but the attacking 2x 747, 8-0 are cut to pieces with a K/4 result which leaves a 747 as a Disrupted HS and the rest broken (the other 747 ELRs to a pair of broken HS too). KC attempts to run his 10-2, 747 out of the surrounded V2 building but again the AA Trucks chip in to cut his units down – these guys are are then hit by everything I have available and in the end only the broken 10-2 remains alive. He has just a single 747 in GO on the whole battlefield, they are the 747 Baz who are guarding the central exit road from Y6. There is nothing that can stop a SS victory now.
SS: M3A1
US: 747, 337
VP Gained: 26
TURN 5
I was going to use my Pz IVs to SMOKE up the sole remaining Baz’s LOS but decided to go for the rushed win instead… My first units to exit are 2x 658, 7-0 who run off from the Y9 path. The 2x PzKw IV’s get out next, they exit after moving along the area behind the Lvl 1 building and eventually off from V2. The last unit to leave and thus secure the victory is the remaining M3A1; he risked the ESB to gain the extra MP needed to follow the PzKw IVs and made it with style.
SS Exit: 2x 658, 7-0
2x PzKw IVH, M3A1
VP Gained: 47
The SS have amassed more than 45 VP.
SS VICTORY
Conclusion
Right from the beginning the US were going to have problems. Their setup was too far forward and too bunched up, they did not make use of the cover of the pine woods, they did not take the free foxholes. Certainly there is the danger of the Germans rushing along the Eastern edge to run off-board but this can be countered by setting units further back (say the V2-V5 area) with the 50 Cal upstairs. By using a layered defence the US have the option of reinforcing or fighting a delaying action – by setting a forward defence the US hand the initiative to the Germans, and the SS have the superior FP as well as Armour. The US superiority comes when the SS have to start to move either through the pine (not as slow as woods, but it allows for 7FP vs 6FP on the IFT or in CC) or across the open killing ground. By setting up close to the entry zone the US have nullified their own terrain advantage and given it to the attacker.
Bear in mind that US units killed are double VP… this alone is a clear enough indication that the US are not to stand and fight, but to pull back in an orderly fashion.
The 3x AA Trucks were terribly strong in this scenario, and the SS can afford to take a risk with one of them getting eliminated if that will ensure that the other 2 can get into place to force a breakthrough. These trucks did all the butcher’s work in our game while constantly staying far enough away from the US to avoid being a reasonable target. Once again the US player should setup with his main force towards the rear or in LOS blind spots so that he can get his shots against these unarmoured killers off first.