American: Bob Walden
German: Scott Romanowski (Winner)
FIRST IMPRESSION: I felt that the German might have the slight edge here, given the terrain and the german's traditional evil tools v. tanks (PF). Also, the HMG, fortified buildings, good TK numbers, mines, US lousy SMOKE, US big tanks/me small... Yep, I bit on the defenders. Then checked the record, eek, mildly pro-American. No biggie. Always against the grain, that's me.
SETUP: In analyzing the board, the obvious attack route for the American is the German left. Too hard to get support from the Sherms on the right or middle. on left, the ami could hope to keep a little distance. So I set up thusly:
| EE8 | 467+MMG 8-1 |
| FF7 | 467+LMG |
| AA10 | 467+LMG ? |
| BB10 | 247+MTR ? |
| BB8 | 467 ? |
| BB7 | 467 ? |
| AA7 | 8-0 |
| V7L2 | 467+HMG, 247+LMG, 9-1 ? (also fort. L1 &L2) |
| W9 | 467 |
| R9 | 2x467 ? |
| S7 | Stug, CE, CA S8/T7 |
| BB3 | 50LL, CA BB4/CC4 |
| X4 | roadblock > X5 |
| X2 | L1 fortified |
| EE7 | 2AT mine factors |
| EE10 | 6AP mine factors |
DEFENSIVE PLAN:
With the kill stack showing in V7 and the Stug in S7, coupled with the natual lay of the land, encourage the amis to go to my right. The Stug commands the forward slope of the big hill (from 11Z2 to 11BB3), so his armor will come on either row R or over to my extreme left. His infantry will be inclined to set up on his strong armor side, probably my left. Get him to assault hill 513 and/or go thru the valley on the left. Fall back with the 8-1 and his men to the EE6, then back to FF3 upstairs for the endgame. Engage with the AT gun as the sherms either come around the corner at FF5 or thru bypass on hill 513. Keep the infantry on the hill ? & try to PF sherms, otherwise fall back. If nobody wants to play with the kill stack, move it back onto hill 497 for the end game. Likewise with the infantry in R9 and W9 if nobody on that side. Stug intimidates right flank for a turn, then rolls to take up position near BB4 (need two turns for this).
If they try to crawl up the gully, blast sherms with PF, waste infantry with kill stack. Use X2 as a bolthole if needed. Roadblock/cemetary combo makes the center tought for AFVs. If he suprises me & pushes on right, swing my lefties over to W5, V6, and U3. R9 would fall back to S7, then S5. Stug fall back to T4.
Hope they don't build a kill stack with all MG , 3 squads, and the 9-2! if they do, they'll have a 12+2 shot at my kill stack, everything factored in. That's nasty. But it also seems risky for the ami, if he misses, he'll be getting 8-1 back at a big juicy stack. The setup in V7 gives me 16FP @ 6 range, 12 @ 8, & 8 out to 16, with a -1. And over 8 I use the LMG seperately from the HMG at other moving targets. So all things considered, I reckon he'll come on my left, where the stacks are smaller.
PLAY:
Turn 1, well, they come on my left, all right, except for the 9-2, MA-DEUCE, and 4 squads, who set up in S5 and R6. They scare me a bit as I'm counting on moving my right flank over to the center, don't want to sit there. It's Scott's plan to tie up 4.5 of my men (1/2 of my OB) with 4 of his (less than a third). Typical Nelson strategy. Good move. How to counter? I know! BLAST 'EM, BOYS! For the next 4 turns, the kill stack in V7 is invinceable, withering the amis on the right to 3 broken halfsquads and a wounded leader. Nasty. he also brings on a sherm up the R row, and CEs it. Oh, boy, it's Christmas! We take a shot, hoping for a recall, but we're lucky to get a MC failure and little stun.
On the left, things aren't going so well at first. He comes on strong, firing M60s at the units on the hill, fortunately the concealment and poor dice keep the 4-1 shots off me. His infantry begin to move up into the 11EE2 building and engage me in EE8/FF7. I assault back on my turn, then forward in advance (also in R9) to deny shots. But, as usual, I shoulda bugged out that turn. I just hate to give up ground that fast, tho! Next turn, they're all over me like ugly on an ape: they crack some of the guys on the hill, next they move up there, looking down at me in EE8. Too late to move out now, gotta fight! As left crumbles my Stug and one of the squads in R9 race over to my left. The other squad in R9 runs forward, captures the dropped MA-DEUCE, and that's about it for the broken remnants of that side of the board. My 467 in W9 runs up to reinforce hill 513, but stays near X7 as its getting hot up there and there's still a wounded but dangerous sherm lurking around T3.
As we get into turn 4, he has a sherm peeking around the corner in 11FF1, I can see it from the 50LL, I break the plan (!) and fire as it starts, hoping for APCR. Nope. Fire AP, hit, bong! NE. He rolls forward into a blind hex, and proceeds to drive me crazy as he drives up onto the hill @ CC8, then later down again in bypass of DD6 and EE6, winding up in FF6, as if he knew the AT mines were in EE7! But it's really to stay one hex away from the nasty PF in the doomed hex EE8. The other two left-side sherms go up on the hill too. By now I don't have much left up there; several double-breaks and its thin now. The remnants with the 8-0 in DD4, then DM'd again and run to DD1. The Stug maneuvers to BB4, where he wants to be. My V7 killers begin to engage amis coming out of the woods on hill 513.
Turn 5-6, and the 50LL does an absolute dick-dance on several ami squads moving around on hill 513! Get some double-breaks, including a leader. The AT gun spews HE at squads all over the left side, breaking several. Then the broken leader on 513 gets hit again and berserks, taking a squad with him! First they charge a 467 in CC6, getting reduced as they enter, then a sniper breaks the 467, which routs, leaving the berserker still whacky! He charges the Stug! GETS TO IT! Eeek! Get these things OFF me! But he fails the CCV attack, and I drive away. Sheesh. Then the 50LL whacks them, they're dead.
By now a ami squad has "found" the mines in EE10 (suprise!), then, the sherm in FF6 decides to get froggy and rolls around the corner to FF5. I sigh, take a aquisition shot, Wahoo, CH! Boom, one sherm down. The 50LL next waxes a shem with a squeeker in DD8. THe final left-side sherm rolls forward, dodging 50LL rounds, right into the 2AT mines, gets immobilized (good enough for me, baby!) Things are lookin' good.
But Scott's a tenacious bastid! He rounds up prisoners from EE8 (took alot of doing, but it paid off for him.) He had broken squads alll over the hill and back to 11EE2 who would never come back, and what he did have was mostly halfsquads. He bulled through the smoker in FF5 and got into FF4, then into GG4. Great, 3 ami halfsquads, a 8-0 leader, and 2 full prisoner counters! Arg! So my reinforcement stug comes on EE1, and the other begins to roll down the hill towards them, supported by infantry...
Meanwhile, the wounded sherm on my right is diving into the gully! Fool, I chortle as my 9-1 & 2 467s stand above it as it wallows below us. We'll PF you in DF next turn, you'll burn, baby! Can't miss... I hate it when I get cocky. two tries at PF, no luck. It rolls away and gets into the victory area around V3. Won't get to it in time.
Over at GG4, I attack the guards with the stug, breaking and double-breaking them, and reducing the prisoners to half-squads. Good! I mean, damn! Fine men, those were... He gets the rest into FF3, then FF2. My other stug attacks, BOXES! tries the MG, BOXES! sheesh.
On the last turn I make a fatal error (like always): I try to pick up some "easy vp", a broken ami squad (i think the last full ami squad left) who is cowering in Z4. There's a CX ami halfsquad next to it. I can take a 4 staight, I think. No I can't. I break, don't even DM the ami squad, he rallies, captures the half-squad! A moral, somewhere...
Last turn, I try VBM freeze with the broke stug in FF2 to lock the amis guarding my boys, then roll down with the functional stug and blast 'em, but miss. My infantry (and the gun crew) sweep down for CC, but Scott, unfortunately, knows the rule about automatic ambush (I do now, too!) and gets away. Final results: US, 18 VP, GERM, 17. GAK!
AFTERMATH: Well, I woulda won if I hadn't:
But basically, Scott played a great game and I screwed up my fallback on the left. I'd do the same setup today, but the 467+MMG & 8-1 would be in FF3L2. Seems obvious, now.
A great scenario, with real replay appeal. I can see why everyone's praising it.
Bob Walden