Darrell had one Panther on his right flank covering both the forest road and the paved road in NN28. The other Panther was on the left flank covering the ford. The 9-2 leader and a squad with the HMG, the 81* MTR and another squad protected the stone building, II17 and the left flank. In the center two squads and a HS covered the paved forest road. On the right flank, a HS with the PSK covered the open ground area along with the 7-0 leader and a squad with a LMG. The 9-1 leader and a squad with the MMG covered the right center ground from a trench. The roadblock was located back along the forest road on the German's right flank in hex GG28.
Darrell's setup was solid despite the final results. Perhaps one more squad could have been added to his right flank, but that move would have weakened him somewhere else. Or he could have pulled his remaining Panther back to prevent my exiting so easily.
I split my forces into two groups. My left flank force contained all of the elite and first line rifle squads, plus the two dm .50 cal HMGs, three bazookas and a HS with a dm 60mm MTR. The two 9-1 leaders lead this group. A M5A1 and M4 Sherman, both with gyrostabilizers, were attached to this first group as well to make a trailbreak through the woods. All of the second line infantry, the 8-1 and 8-0 leaders, two bazookas, both dm MMGs and a HS with a dm 60mm MTR formed my right flank assault force. I held the remaining vehicles offmap as reinforcements to be brought in once I knew more of the German's deployment of his Panthers.
My plan of attack was to capture both buildings (QQ29 and II17) rather than trying to exit enough of my forces off for a victory, which I believed would be unlikely. I was not sure if my right flank force would be strong enough to accomplish its task, but I did not appreciate how weak it really was. One .50 cal HMG and an elite rifle squad should have been added with a MMG switched to the other group.
I am recommending both of my mortar half-squads and one Sherman tank crew for medals and a month's leave in Paris with all expenses paid. The first mortar team destroyed the German's MMG squad and leader in their trench with a critical hit, then they broke a HS, followed by forcing a Panther crew out of their immobilized tank with an "eyes" IFT roll, followed by killing the Panther crew. Later they recovered a .50 cal HMG and held the QQ29 building until the scenario end. They were awesome! The other mortar team flushed another Panther out of its hex and used a critical hit to eliminate an SS HS in a foxhole that was covering the paved road. The Sherman blasted an SS squad in a foxhole with a critical hit (leaving a disrupted HS) in an AFPh followed by another critical during my next DFPh that KIAed another SS squad that tried to get into position for a PF shot .
Overall, I had at least six crucial DRs of "eyes" during the match. The last one was a bazooka at 2 hex range during light mist at the PzKw IV J in woods along with a burning wreck from a failed overrun attempt by a M5A1. This shot added another burning wreck to that hex and was the straw that cracked the German's back.
My left flank force forced a trailbreak through the woods, cleared the first positions of the Germans before an elite squad with a bazooka advanced into the hex of a HIP Panther. The squad immobiized the Panther but was broken by its sN attack in the ensuing close combat. Later, the Panther eliminated the broken squad at it tried to withdraw, but the mortar team proceded to destroy the tank crew for doing so. This force was reinforced on turn #3 by two more Shermans. All of the Shermans and most of the infantry on this flank survived to exit with enough VPs to win.
My right flank force started on the wrong foot by misreading the entry hex limits. Soon the 8-0 leader was killed and a squad broken by a sniper attack, and then both squads broke from the LLMC. My forces were able to work their way across the stream after receiving some fire from the German 9-2 and HMG squad and from the 81mm MTR. Another couple of successful sniper attacks broke another squad twice. The MTR was eliminated without my taking much damage, but the 9-2 and HMG squad pulled back into II17.
From that position, they were immovable, as my forces advanced adjacent and their forces broke them again and again. I did not dare bring a tank in to help for then it would be within easy PF range. My right hand force was just too weak to break the Germans from this position. (Particularly when the German had another squad HIP in II17.)
I reinforced this right flank force with both M3 halftracks, two M5A1s and two Shermans. The halftracks were sacrificed while blasting down the paved road trying to scout out the German's positions. They did this task quite well -- taking two PF attempts from one squad, twice overrunning another squad in a woods-road hex and finding the other Panther. Unfortunately, the Panther toasted one halftrack and the overrun German squad stunned the other with DF before eliminating it in CC.
One Sherman trailed the halftracks to deal with the now revealed squad with a critical hit followed by a critical hit on the other squad the next player turn. Wow!! What close range shooting from a Sherman no less! I expected him to get toasted by one squad or the other. (Hence, the extended leave to Paris.)
The other Sherman and the two M5A1s tried to help the right flank by forcing the ford on turn #4. Unfortunately, the Panther destroyed both M5A1s as they exited the ford. Darn! I expected him to miss with the +7 DRMs and to lose his ROF at least. But noooo! Fritz had to roll a "3" to hit and kill the first one (while maintaining his ROF) and a critical hit on the last one converted it into a burning wreck. Somehow, the last Sherman decided to seek another way around the Panther. I did discover that the pine woods are two level obstacles, so the area north of the ford is out of LOS of most of the ridge to its south. That was good news.
The Panther tried to overrun my concealed squad and a hero after they had advanced next to the 81mm MTR. They both survived the overrun and the squad used his bazooka to nail the Panther from behind to turn it into another burning wreck with non-CC reaction fire. By eliminating the last Panther, my Shermans were now free to support the attack on the II17 building or to attempt to exit, which seemed much more prudent to them.
In summary, I was very fortunate to score several critical hits or "eyes" IFT rolls at crucial times. Had I not silenced the MMG nest so quickly, then I would not have found the first Panther as I did. Similarly, had the Sherman not gotten either of those two critical hits, then the Germans would have probably destroyed him and prevented the other Sherman from exiting. Very likely, these two squads would have choked off the western fork of the forest road that two other exiting Shermans used. In turn, that would have placed the German reinforcements squarely across my last opportunity of exiting. If the squad and 9-1 leader had not cleared the roadblock on their first attempt, then more time would have been lost before my tanks and infantry could have exited.
Therefore, I can say that I was very fortunate to win although I certainly did play a solid game of Advanced Squad Leader -- strong enough to earn a win in a game that could have gone the other way very easily. Oddly enough, I expected to win by controlling the two buildings, but that was the very area where I failed.
Chuck Payne