Ambush! - ASL 28
This scenario is a good one for a quick play in one evening, since the setup is already determined for the Bulgarian forces. It really has the look of a classic ambush too. The Bulgarians are strung out in a long column, where the lead elements have just gotten into an open area in front of some woods. The Bulgarian units in the first four hexes of this column all start the game broken and DM, apparently the victims of a 9-1 directed MMG fire lane or some such thing. The Bulgarians have about 14 good order 347s, an 8-1, 2x8-0, a 7-0, a MMG, 3xLMG and a 50mm MTR. The partisans have about 13x337, a few leaders, 2 captured Bulgarian MMGs, and some captured LMGs. An clever SSR puts the partisans in a dilemma. Each functioning MMG or LMG possessed by a good order partisan unit increases the Bulgarian victory conditions, which are couched in terms of the number of good order squad-equivalents they can get to a certain hexrow at the end of any player turn. So, with a breakdown number of 9, it's difficult to know when to fire. Interestingly, the conditions call for a mild breeze blowing to the East, but this is not an unambiguous direction given the orientation of the boards.

Well, it took me a couple of turns to get my Bulgarians in good fighting order. Many of the guys who started the game broken were killed right away due to double breaking. The rest of the column moved up as fast as possible to the woods edge, about half on each side. The mortar team moved up to the middle, from which they could threaten the partisan 9-1 and MMG. The partisans still had little to fear after one turn of movement, so on the second half of turn 1 they stuck around to shoot up more of the hapless guys who were still broken in the open. On turn 2 I pushed too hard, and it cost me. I discovered the HIP 8-0, MMG, 337 in the woods clump just to the Bulgarian right. They shredded the squad that had tried to move into their location. Also during this turn, something set off a sniper, which unmercifully killed my 8-1 before he ever got to direct a shot. The MMG squad with him broke, but the other one went berserk. Other than that I did very little except to consolidate my troops in the woods fringes.

The partisans now started a slinking game, and I only had a few targets to fire at during defensive fire. During the next turn, prep fire broke the enemy 8-0 and MMG group in the front right of my position. This now broken group was the only known enemy unit in LOS of the berserk guys, so they charged them but didn't have enough movement to enter the woods hex with them. Fearing that they could rout away, I sent a half squad out to cut their rout path. The half squad was killed by other defensive fire. So I foolishly sent out another one, which was fired on and also went berserk! As it turns out, I need not have feared the broken partisans escaping, since I had other units that could menace their rout path. The now berserk Bulgarian conscript half squad entered the broken units' location, and I followed with another half squad nearby just to keep an eye on things. These partisans were eliminated for failure to rout, which meant my units would remain berserk for a while. The good order half squad advanced in and took possession of the MMG in the next Rally Phase. (These two berserk units proved helpful, as they charged forward in the mid game and absorbed a lot of firepower before succumbing. They did very little actual damage, however.)

I now started what I think is the crucial tactic for the Bulgarians. I advanced squads out into the open, one per hex, trying to achieve large, multi-location firegroups. This minimized risk, maximized the threat to the enemy, and got my units slowly closer to the victory hexrow. Mike wisely kept his partisans slinking during his half of the turn, and used the foxhole to great advantage, constantly advancing a concealed guy in to replace the previous occupant who lost concealment during the turn. Slowly the numbers advantage began to tell, as attrition started to wear the partisans down, and they could no longer stand and fight. A few of the Bulgarians who started the game broken even began to come back, although the sniper killed one of the 8-0s shortly thereafter.

As the last two turns began I felt that Mike had it in the bag. I didn't feel that either of us made any huge errors, but I hadn't done very well, and he had enough units ready to pound my troops as they tried to make it to the victory area. But strange things started happening. In advancing fire of Bulgarian turn 7, Mike took seven morale checks with 7-morale units and passed only one. One of these was on a 6+1 shot from a conscript which rolled a 2,2 to cower to the 2 column and still get a NMC. Another was on a 4+2. I had managed to fire a bunch of shots on the 16, 12, and 8 columns in the mid game due to my very large fire groups, but they didn't seem to achieve much. Then at the end a bunch of wimpy attacks crushed his defense. Wow.

Still, when turn 8 came around there was a chance for either side. As Mike said, it was mostly like a problem I just had to solve, and I could get enough units across. They still had to withstand some fire however. I used the 7-0 and 8-0 to run forward and limit subsequent fire opportunities, then moved my other units in a careful order to minimize their risk of being shot. A couple of squads were stopped, but enough managed to get across for the win.

Kudos to Mike for not grumbling about his turn of bad dice at the end, after hearing me bemoan mine during the early and mid game. All in all, this was a good scenario. I picked it because I wanted something we could finish in one playing. It fit that purpose well. It seemed to have the right "feel" of an ambush too. I might never have tried this scenario had I not heard some other comments about it on this list. Therefore I hope others will continue to post their impressions of scenarios.

Cheers,

Matt ".731 decayouse on the whine-o-meter" Shostak

Reply to AAR:

From the Partisan's perspective I would suggest:

1. Note Grain is NOT in season, set up so that you can fall back if needed.
2. Realize he can form multi-hex firegroups and you can't.
3. Concealment is your friend.
4. Time is not on your side.
5. Concealment is your friend.
6. Do not bunch up, even if it allows you larger FGs, you'll pay in the end.
7. Do not over extend your set-up, I did somewhat not realizing grain was NOT in season.
8. Choose your MG shots wisely.
9. The sniper IS your friend.
10. Anyone that breaks on either side won't be back in a while.
11. Don't let his mortar play a key role.
12. Use firelanes, but choose their end points wisely. Several times I extended mine as far as the could go (which is typically the right thing to do), had Matt thought of it, he had several chances to run a unit through a woods hex I ended my fire lane -- basically daring me to kill the MG w/ a 9.
13. Roll Well -- or at least be average. 7's will easily win the game for the Partisans. You have some positive DRMs, typically the Bulgarians won't.
14. Keep the Bulgarians in the open, shoot the one squad who'll mess up his return FGs the most.
15. Remember you only have 6 hex max range, he has an 8!
16. Enjoy yourself.

Mike

Re-reply:

Bulgarian advice:

1. There is plenty of time to win the scenario. No need to run around giving the enemy -2 shots early in the game.
2. Get your mortar in position to pound the MMG foxhole. You want to keep those guys out of there.
3. Keep routing those guys that start the game broken back to leaders in the woods. Eventually they will come back and help out. You will probably even have some throw-away half squads to run out there and draw fire.
4. Your advance should be slow but inexorable. Don't be afraid to advance guys out into the open, just as long as you can form large firegroups. The partisans will not want to stick around for a firefight they will lose.
5. Do not stack. You can form multi-location firegroups. The partisan, however, cannot and needs to stack to get high FP shots.

Partisan Advice:

1. Wipe out as many of the broken beginners early. Otherwise they will come back later. The first two turns are probably your only chance to stand up and fight with the Bulgarians, while you have "crossed their T." Once they deploy to line formation you can't get into sustained firefights anymore. Well, you can get into them, but you will probably lose. Fire discipline will be critical.
2. When to fire the MGs is a really tough decision. With a breakdown number of 9, you will lose each one after only a few shots. So make certain the attack is a worthwhile one before you take it.
3. Learn how to slink. You will need this skill in the mid game, when the Bulgarian has the superior firepower. Especially useful is to keep rotating a concealed unit into the foxhole, making it tough on the Bulgarians to get through that point.
4. Don't forget your sniper. Considering the fact that the Bulgarian will be taking the majority of the shots after turn 2, this could be one of your best weapons.
5. Know when to stack and when not to. You are very FP hungry in this one, so to get a good shot you need to stack. But that brings with it the risks of getting several squads broken with one shot. I generally wouldn't stack unless I had my troops in a spot where they could cover a line of the Bulgarian advance, but were out of LOS from any powerful shots.
6. Stealthy partisans should be favored in CC.

Matt