Here's another installment of my ongoing battles with Curtis Brooks.
In this combat Curtis' Russian horde was knocking on the door of my poor German's residential neighborhood in Berlin, trying to evict Himmler from his home. Inspecting the situation led me to believe that it was quite a daunting situation for the Russians! There is no maneuvering around open ground in this bad boy. This is a location by location, hex by hex, nasty ugly brawl.
I started out with a forward defense. Almost everyone was set up facing the street. Two squads took refuge in the L12 and M12 cellars, while K11 was fortified at ground level. Curtis started by probing for the fortified location with prep fire, found it, did some damage, and ate some fierce DF in return. The Germans have 36fp+ available up front, not including the 9-2 and 658/MMG set up HIP in I12 to hamper the reinforcements crossing the bridge. Many Russians fell back to the M9 vodka party/rally point. That vodka party would be going on throughout most of the scenario.
I quickly realized I had made an error fortifying K11. The wrecks in the street combined with debris in L12 and the +1 LV hindrance gave Curtis plenty of cover when he decided to mobilize on turn #2. A squad in the K11 cellar would have also helped. I simply could not bring enough FP to bear to stop the breaching of K11. This gave the Russians a strong foothold in the House.
Then things got ugly.
The Russians poured into the street in a mad assault. Twice Red Army stacks moved into the street and drew the expected abuse. Both times TWO squads underwent HoB! This resulted in two fanatics, a hero, and a berserker. Going berserk when adjacent to the enemy is not such a bad thing. This led to the first in several bloody and brutal close combats. I was able to get reinforcements into this melee on my turn and clean it up, but that was not representative of the bloodbath that was to follow.
Curtis provided a textbook lesson on how to use pinning, stealth, leadership, and HtH to eradicate an entrenched enemy force. Repeatedly, he jumped my men, achieved ambush, declared HtH and destroyed them before they could react. Devastating. A lesson I shall not soon forget. Well done, Curtis.
The Germans fought hard, calling upon the Valkyries to bring down good die rolls again and again, hitting the Russians hard. But the Reds weathered the storm valiantly, falling back begrudgingly if at all.
By turn 5 the incredible counter density had given way to three German squads falling back with their three leaders and the MMG in K13, K14, and M14. The Russians had managed to break the 9-2 leader from across the river, and the squad followed soon after. Those Germans were lucky to be able to route back into the House. The Russians concentrated on the MMG and 9-2, breaking both leader and squad. But the Germans merely fell back again to the 8-0 Gestapo who rallied the leader on an 11.
The Germans faced Turn 7 with the 9-2, 658/MMG, and an 8-0, 447 all in the Fortified L15. In came the Russians from all sides. An extremely gallant German effort repulsed the Russians, but not before a breach opened from M14. The broken Russians fell back and a brave German 8-0 w/ 447 jumped into CC in L15.1.
The Russians regrouped and charged again on Turn 8, the last, coming once more from all sides. The MMG cut up much of the force in L14, and broke a 628 in M14, but the Russians had enough left to encircle. The 9-2 broke on the encircling 6+3 shot, then the 10-3 Russian stepped up to wound the 9-2 and break the 658, both of which routed out of the house and into the cellar. It all came down to the Melee in L15.1. An 8-0 Gestapo and 447 against three Russian squads. 2:1 for the Russian. What an exciting finish!
I have many thoughts on things that could be done differently by the Germans. First, I don't believe the 9-2 was best used with the MMG in I12. A Gestapo leader in a fallback position, I13 perhaps, could keep that MMG alive and hamper the bridge crossing as effectively. This would bring the 9-2 into the House where he could give the Russians second thoughts about jumping into CC.
The fortification of K11 was a mistake. It was not defensible enough. I think I like L12 or M12 better, or even another fallback position such as K12 or K13.
The forward defense gave the Russians some big problems, but also exposed too many troops to CC. I have no idea how changing that tactic would affect the outcome.
This was the meanest, bloodiest, cruelest game of ASL I have yet played. Curtis said that this scenario bypassed any Red Barricades game he has played in terms of sheer brutality and bloodletting. Rarely do I really visualize what it is that ASL represents, but I cringed at the horror that these men experienced, both Russian and German. This game left me feeling dirty, exhilarated, exhausted, defiled, wrung out, excited, destroyed, and eager for more. This was ASL at its most intense. It took place on VASL in a marathon which lasted into the wee hours o' the mourn.
Oh yeah. The Russians took out those German hold outs in the 2:1 Close Combat. They had sole possession of the House and victory over the Reich.
Get Berlin Red Vengeance. Play it. You will not be disappointed.
Congratulations Curtis
I shall return.
Bob