ASL19 - Backs to the Sea
I played this scenario against Spencer Armstrong over the course of two weekends. The action takes place near Pointe du Hoc, with the Americans backed up against the English Channel. The Germans are disorganized by the preceding Naval bombardment and are represented by 2nd line troops. ROAR has this listed as 49-25 pro-German so as the newbie, I get the Germans. To balance it out a little, the Amis get the balance which changes the 9-1 leader to a 9-2. Due to SSR all grain, buildings and road intersections are shellholes although I will describe the action using the native terrain so I don't get confused. Also, all walls and hedges are bocage which I will call bocage. The Amis have a few squads, 2 mortars and 11 ? markers while I have 18 squads, 3mmgs, 4lmgs,and 2 mortars to go with 5 mid-low quality leaders.
Setup: Spencer sets up on board 16 with stacks of ?+1 in H10, I8, L6, M2, Q9, U6, Y2, Z10 and a couple of others, puts his hero in EE2, one mortar with a MMC in FF1, the other mortar and MMC in O3 and the 9-2 leader and MMC in O4. With the two forward Ami positions I need to get fire on them immediately so I put mmgs with MMC and leader in (all bd 19) CC5, P2 and I4. I put my mtrs in V2 and K4 and scatter the rest of the units and leaders across the front of the southern trees.
Turn one: The Germans expose the American dummies in 16H10 (although we forgot to halve for area fire) so to make up, the effective fire on 16Z10 was changed to no effect. Most of my units take a leasurely stroll across the open ground, with a few units shot at in the W-Y7-9 area with no effect. The units in the eastern grain field sneak up along the bocage. During the American turn the mortar in 16FF1 breaks the German MMC in 19G7 and the 7-0 leader routs with the MMC using low crawl to G6. The front line Amis in 16Z10 skulk.
Turn two: Some Germans prep, but most move up into the trees and the rest manuever behind the bd 19 bocage. During defensive fire, the Amis break their eastern mortar (it was to remain broken the rest of the game). With my advancing fire I shoot the Amis in 16Z10 and Spencer generates a Hero. (Ouch) A few potshots are taken across the central bd 16 bocage and at the Amis in the 16H-K grain field. In the Ami turn the hero and the squad with the broken mortar go from 16EE2/FF1 to AA2, with the Ami prep fire only breaking a couple of squads. During my defensive fire I break the squad in 16I8 who low crawls to I7, where he is joined by a leader to help him rally.
Turn three: My prep fire mistakenly causes the leader with the broken MMC in 16I7 to become heroic (thanks for all the replies). I break the squad in 16Z10 but the hero is still standing. I also manage to keep the broken Ami near 16Q7 DM and retreating so that he can find a leader to rally him. I wanted to get to the hero in 16Z10 but there is too much open ground which would result in a significant neg. modifier so I am too cautious. In the American turn their prep fire is largely ineffective. The German defensive fire causes Spencer to make one dice roll. With eight different shots I was only able to generate one dice roll - which passed! The Americans move the hero and squad with the broken mortar to Y2 to join another MMC.
Turn four: German mortar in 19Q10 prep-fires with spotter in 16Q10 who sees through the bocage. The mortar fire has no significant effect, but one of the American MC rolls activates the German sniper which breaks the MMC with the good mortar in 16O4. I don't want the broken mortar to be fixed, so my other mortar in 19N9 fires at the stack in 16Y2 (woods - airburst). Result - K/2 RS roll 4,4,1 so both squads are gone, and the hero takes a 2MC which he boxes! CR -> wound check -> KIA! So the only thing left is the broken mortar! Suddenly all the missed defensive fire last turn doesn't seem to matter as much. I move a MMC with a lmg from 16J10->16K10 intending to continue to K9 but the wounded hero in I7 breaks them. A squad in L10 moves to L9 then K9 where the Ami in L6 fire on them and they also break. During the American turn a couple more German squads break but I manage to wipe out the wounded leader in 16I7 and kill the hero in 16Z10 (finally!) Suddenly, despite the nice mortar results, there doesn't seem to be enough GO germans while there are more than enough broken Geri conscripts.
Turn five: I am going to have to take some risks since there are only ~10 squads that could reach bd 7 and I need 8. I move one MMC and lmg to 19H9->H10 to draw fire from 16Z9. The squad breaks but that allows the other squad from 19G8 to CX it up the middle of the eastern grainfield. I AM a squad from 16H9->I9 where they draw fire and break, but again this allows squads to sprint into the grainfield at G3/G4. I move one squad from 16V6->W6->W5 where they are broken. Then I realize that SFF from 16O4 can still reach beyond the central bocage so I move the other V6 squad to U6 to draw SFF. Now the squad with the mortar in 16U10 drops the mortar and sprints to X8->X6 and the squad in 19Q10->16Q10->T8 where they are joined by the 8-0 from T9. Both advance to T7. The squad and 8-0 leader in 16X10 drop their mmg and run X9->X8->Y8->Y7 where the remanned mortar in O3 drops in and breaks the squad. (I don't remember when it happened, but during a previous MC, my 8-1 leader ELR failed so I now have 4 8-0s). My advancing fire from 16CC8 breaks the MMC in Z9 so they are no longer a threat.
Turn six: I still have enough squads to make a shot so we continue. My sole remaining GO unit in the south has a mmg at 16O10 and prep-fires, breaking the gun. (He had also been pinned by the Ami sniper.) My squad and 8-0 in 16H2 AM to H1 and the squad in H3 AM to H2. I CX a squad up the AA row where they get CHed by in AA4 by the mortar - goodbye squad and lmg. The leader in T7 AM to U7 to rally the squad there while the squad in T7 moves T6->T5 surviving fire (and advances to T4). Another squad makes it to AA2, while a few others break. During the Ami turn, they break the squad at T4, but no other effects. Thanks to Spencer's suggestion the DM squad at T4 can attempt to rout to T0. T3 - fine, T2 - pass MC, T1 - pin.
Turn seven: After a couple of failed rallies I no longer have enough GO germans who can make it to bd 7 so I resign. Lessons: 1) If you move first, and have measureable ground to cover, set up somewhat forward. I lost essentially a full turn by setting up in the southern tree line instead of in the #5 hexes. 2) 2nd line conscripts with low ELR -> lots of broken conscripts. 3) It is better to take some small risks in the early turns than wait until the later turns where they have compounded into larger risks with fewer turns to recover.
Larry "back to cutting counters" Reeves larryr@acm.org
