Back again, with more ToT action! {TOT #3 is a heckuva product!}
Late afternoon Sun Blindness is in effect. No wind at start. We used Brit balance - Germans are NOT elite for C8.2 purpose. 9 turns.
Victory: Germans win at end if 10+ squad-equiv. within 3 of a hillock hex; each Brit sqd-eq. in this area is -1, and each Germ. AFV is +2, to end total.
British set up 1st, west of track on 26/31 [ELR 3] {SAN 3}: 5x 457, 2x 247,
4x 228, 9-1, HMG, 2x LtMtr, 2x ATR, 7x?, 2 8-hex Known minefields, 2x 40L AT, 7x
Fh, 3x Sngr, 4x Wire; set up on 28: 3x Humber II AC (MA= 15, AF= 2/1)
Reinforcements, on turn 5-7 (dr 2, 4, 6 to enter), enter on east edge of
any 1 board: 2x Grant, 3x Stuart I
The minefields may not be adjacent, include 1 dummy ea., have 6 A-P & 1 AT.
I set up my "box" to try and deny the west board edge, and stretched the minefields to reach as far east as possible. However, I set them both up within about 6-8 hexes of the hillock, with a 2-hex gap. The Fh & Sngrs went in a ring around the south side of the hillock, with the 40Ls in the Sngr. I also made 3 tall stacks (2 real, 1 Dummy) and placed them at either end and in the center of my minefield line, just behind it.
My set-up was abysmal! The ATGs didn't need to be in sangars to be Emplaced (I forgot!); I used the sangars' +1 rather than the Emplaced +2 TEM all game. My tall stacks had to located in atrocious positions, where they couldn't bat an eye w/o losing "?" - and the real units were a full MPh from the entrenchment line. I could also have placed the minefields farther forward, to make the Nazis deal with them sooner. My "theory" was to keep the mines close enough to cover with fire. Not necessary; their main job is slow down the enemy, not harm him. The ACs spread out, trying to cover the entire 32-hex front with their mighty 5 TK guns [ROF 1, B11].
Germans move 1st, enter on/after turn 1 anywhere along south edge, all PRC [ELR 4] {SAN 2}: 2x 548 A.E./Sapper, 4x 468, 6x 248, 4x 228, 9-2, 9-1, 2x 8-1, HMG, 2x DC; 2x 76LL ART (P obr. 36), 2x 50L AT, sIG II, 3x Pj Sfl Diana (76LL on ht), 2x StuG IIIB, SPW 251/10, 2cm FlaK LKW, 6x SPW 251/1, Kfz 1 w/AAMG, 2x SdKfz 11, 2x Opel Blitz; FB w/o bombs.
Mike brought on his "good" vehicles first (StuGs, SPWs), but did give me one shot at a Diana w/ an AC (no effect). After positioning his Vehicle Dust, the guns came on. the Russ 76LLs went about 2 hexes, in the SW corner, and unloaded: great move. So did the 50Ls: not a great move. The Dianas stayed close to the map-edge, in motion. Mike also unloaded all his SPWs, to avoid extra casualties if a lucky kill occurred.
The ACs were gone by the end of 1/Brit DFPh, but one AC crew, near the W edge, escaped.
2/G saw the Nazi swarm creep forward, onto bd 28, while the Guns took 25-hex potshots at Brit "?" stacks. The sIG breaks one MTR team, and the LKW uses a 1fp BFF shot to break a 7-0 w/ATR.
2/B, and my 40Ls open up! One ATG claims 3 SPWs, and the Good Order ATR picks off the LKW. In DFPh the FB breaks one 40L crew, and the 5th Nazi gun to target it, breaks the 2nd 40L crew. In the next RPh, this crew CRs on self-rally.
3/G a 76LL Gun at 32 hexes hits the HMG+crew (in Fh), who CRs its MC. The Germans' lone setback was a squad that risked a 1 -2 from the AC crew (now well behind the Germ. front), and was KIA'd. The Germ.s keep creeping.
3/B and my terrible set-up shows: a stack of 3 457s w/LMGs, stuck in a scrub hex forward of the Fh line, breaks. They can only Low Crawl, and comprise half my infantry force! However, a squad manages to sneak up to one of the 40Ls, and mans it.
4/G the 76LL locked on the HMG hits the 9-1 manning it, for a NMC- which he fails. The creeping continues, with lagging infantry hopping back on SPWs.
4/B the 40L and its large but motivated "crew" knock out the 251/10 and the kubelwagen, before malf'ing. A HS mans the other 40L.
5/G the Nazi HMG & 9-2 KIA the HS and the Gun. The Brit 9-1 goes beserk under the long-range shelling. The Nazis get into the malf'd 40L's position.
5/B and the cavalry arrives! Unfortunately, the Dianas and ATGs are already waiting. I enter the tanks as far away from them as possible (bd 26) but even at 35 hexes they are smashed by the Dianas' 76LLs. Mike did need '5's or less to hit, but got 2 with just a single Diana. Those not destroyed (the slower Grants, and one Stuart that made it to a position behind the hillock) are acquired.
6/G the hulldown Stuart is destroyed, and a Grant (moving, in Dust, at 30+ hex range) is likewise destroyed. I don't even let Mike finish his PFPh before conceding.
Lessons Learned:
The British are in a bad way in this scenario; the balance hardly made a difference, and the 76LLs ruled the field. Among my many errors was not taking the time to analyze my opponent's OB thoroughly. The 76s' basically Automatic Hit ability demands an answer; terrain is not enough - 7 +2 attacks will start taking a toll. What the answer is, though, I can't say. NOTHING in the Brit OB can touch the 76LL ART at 33 hexes [EXC: 40L AP equiv.], and the Dianas are fairly easily protected.
A British set up on the "reverse slope" of the hillock, to avoid the long-range pounding, fails to answer the crucial question: how do the Brit tanks manage to survive long enough to have an impact? Mike and I concluded that this scenario is heavily pro-German.
Tom Mueller
With all the chatting about desert scenarios going on, I thought I might add a little fuel to the fire with this AAR. An elite German force of towed AT/ART guns, self-propelled guns, halftracks, and infantry must breach a minefield/wire obstacle and get on / close to a lone hillock held by a small force of Brits with a couple 2 pounder AT guns and three Humber armored cars. The British reinforcements consist of two Grants and three Stuart I tanks, coming on the second half of this nine-turn scenario.
Setup:
The British setup their armored cars pretty far forward, I guess hoping to knock out some half-tracks or the thin-skinned SP guns. The minefield ran along the south edge of board 31, but was only one hex wide consisting of 6 AP and 1 AT mine factors per hex. The 40Ls were surprisingly placed away from the hillock in some scrub almost on the west board edge, figuring the Germans would do a board edge creep on that side. The Germans are almost forced to breach on the west edge due to sun blindness coming from that direction. The Brit infantry setup closer to the hillock in their foxholes. I think the plan was to get some quick shots with the armored cars in DFF, then scoot back in the Brit turn 1 movement or move off to the flank and harass the lightly armored SP guns and towed guns as they deployed. Then I think he hoped to surprise the Germans as they breached the minefield with the AT guns showing up right in their faces instead of a little farther back on the hillock.
Early Turns:
I brought on the two heaviest armored german vehicles (Stug IIIBs) with all six SPW 251s behind full of infantry and enginner troops. The veh dust/motion protected the 1/2 tracks pretty well, and his armored cars' 15mm guns couldn't do much to the Stugs 6 front armor. The towed guns and SP guns then came on and setup support by fire positions just a few hexes in off the board edge. Even from the board edge, the range to the hillock objective is only 30-35 hexes, and with all the L and LL guns in the German OB you still get a lot of good shots. The Brit Armored cars tried to engage some of the lighter armored stuff, but couldn't do any damage. By the end of Brit turn 1, all the armored cars were dead, with one killed by the German Fighter-Bomber (really cool how much more effective air cover is in the desert with no where to hide, just ask the Iraqi army). By turn three the Germans were at the minefield with the breach / assault force, with the support force firing away with smoke and HE shots on suspec ted targets. The 40Ls and the lone HMG in the Brit force had yet to fire.
Middle Turns:
When the Brits did open up, they quickly destroyed two 1/2 tracks, but didn't get much else. The HMG and other Brit infantry that could fire on the breach area were quickly covered in smoke from the Stugs and the German sIG II with the 150* gun. The ATs were knocked out by turn 5 by a combination of fire from the infantry, assault guns, and the FB. With them gone, the way across the minefield was almost open. With only a 1 AT factor field, the Germans got a little luck and bulled through a couple vehicles creating trailbreaks for everyone else to use. With so many units and so many dice rolls, lots of crazy / fun stuff happened. The Germans managed to malf and then disable three of their four towed guns and one of the SP guns. The Brit HMG stack survived two critical hits from 75mm rounds - I rolled a 12 on both to kills! Finally, the 9-1 with the HMG went Berzerk and took his squad with him, running across the desert toward a StugIII before being gunned down.
Late Turns:
The British reinforcements came on in turn six, but at this point the Germans still had four 76LL weapon systems in play (three of them the cool "Diana" rare German SP guns) and both StugIIIs. The long range duel that ensued saw one Grant and one Stuart quickly knocked out by good German rolls. The other Grant bought it in turn 7 after being Shocked, and another Stuart went down in Turn 8 via another 76LL long-range shot. By this time, the German infantry and armor was through the minefield in force and overwhelmed the remaining Brit infantry around the hillock. The last Stuart was knocked out by the German Fighter as it tried to Banzai charge the German infantry / light vehicles that had made it to the hillock. On turn 9 the Germans moved enough troops close enough for the win.
Overall, I think this is a fun scenario. My win was a little lopsided due to a poor Brit setup and some good luck on my part (very rare, I might add). With a good setup and a little luck the Brits could win. That being said, the British player has almost zero room for error, while the German player has so much capable troops / vehicles that he can survive a major mistake or two. The fighter-bomber in the German arsenal makes shifting troops very dangerous for the Brits. In that sense, this one is a little tough on the Brits, but still good fun.
I think what I like most about the desert is that one has to use very different tactics, offense and defense, than in the usually restricted terrain of the ETO. I found it a great scenario because the size helped make up for bad rolls on both our parts, and the lack of cover resulted in lots of action. Sure it was a little "dicey" like many desert scenarios, but I'd much rather get to takes lots of shots with all the toys at my disposal than have to sneak around woods and buildings for five turns waiting for a couple chances to do something with my armor and guns. The kind of desert (flat, open) that most ASL desert scenarios are played in suck for infantry, just as in real life (again, ask the Iraqis). Tanks, Guns, OBA, and Aircraft can play a much bigger role because of the visibility. Many of the desert posts have referred to the other kinds of desert terrain yet to be really well covered in ASL and I heartily agree. While the thin skinned, but leathal German force in TOT 34 can do well in flat terr ain, a force like that would get eaten alive in rough/mountain type desert terrain where the infantry and guns can tie their defense into some terrain. I personally look forward to more different desert stuff.
Doug