Ad Hoc 1999
Ad Hoc 1999
Starting one day earlier this year, Ad Hoc 99 lasted from Friday till Sunday and was held in Linköping, Sweden. 15+ turned up for some casual ASL (no tournament). In addition to the usual crowd (Robert Maglica, Nils-Gunnar Nilsson, Bernt Ribom, Klas Mamström, Patrik Manlig, Mel, Daniel Q., and more) it was nice to see some new players as well. Though none from our Scandinavian neighbour countries...
First game out was J2 Battlin' Buckeyes with Nils-Gunnar Nilsson. Rolling for sides I got the attacking IJA. This scenario is cool in that the defender sets up on one half board and the attacker on the other half board, but the offboard armor for both sides are allowed to enter along the whole (opposing) flanks. Thus the attacker can penetrate behind the defender and vice versa. Nils-Gunnar setup the Priest close to the bridge with a CA to cower the long LOS between the hills. A single ?(2) cowered the flank where my armor would enter (this was a 667/MMG and not the Baz as I figured; the Baz was 4 hexes closer to the center). The rest was placed along the outline of the village in my direction. The US troops where mostly of LOS so no initial good banzais were possible. However after a KIA against a sentry HS this allowed the IJA to surround the outpost on the US left (the best leader with a 667/HMG). I sent three AFV's behind his lines and three up the road in my centre. I only AM'ed forward to keep "?" on my left. Rolling only fives on my MC's keep my force intact and breaking the HMG MMC and eliminating for rout failure allowed a squad to do some HtH with his solo leader there.
In his turn he couldn't affect my units at all (rolling high) and sent the Priest through the churchyard to PBF distance of a Chi-Ha which promptly eliminated it on an IF shoot. Nils-Gunnar failed his otherwise sturdy PTC and resigned.
Not being able to call that a game we decided to play another, J12 Jungle Fighters. I got the retreating Brits and made the setup to start play on the Saturday and got to bed early (others played till 3.30 or so). Jungle Fighters also has an intresting setup with both forces comming from the same border edge and racing across the (cool) board 45 for exit VP. The britisch nter first and are of course the chased by the IJA, so several Banzais where probably coming.
I sent most guys racing to keep the distance, except on my left flank where I left two HS each in a building hex ADJACENT to the border edge for some -2 DFF shots, and two 458 stacked three hexes away for additional bleeding of his. Two might be too much, but it worked out. In the center also two 458's, each with a LMG, watched the center entry hexes. Nils-Gunnars entry started on an omnious note with a fulls squad dying to a KIA when AM adjacent to a sentry HS. The rest when rather uneventfull with a step reductiong or two, and a HS eliminated (I think). He really pushed up close to my 458 stack with seven squads and two leaders adjacent. AFPh did not harm them except except for encirclingthem, so he sent a leader and three squads in to CC the two 458, causing a CR in HtH. Both the sentry HS had been eliminated by breaking them and denying them any rout. The brits promptly eliminated all the attackers! My prep did nothing to him, and in my MPh most little fellows went running further back, setting up the MMG to put a FL onto any units sure to come from the left flank when done with my 458's there.
The IJA defensive fire produce broke one 458/LMG on the way back, but little else. On my left the 458's split up; one going into CC with a 447 and the other into CC with a leader and two squads. Since both where encircled they became CX by that advance, producing not so nice looking Ambush possibilities, but it looked better than alternatives. Starting in the squad versus squad CC no ambush happened and I rolled snakes, killing him and creating an 8-0! Ahh. Next was squads against leader + squads, still no ambush and a second snake for me! And an additional 8-0 for me!! That left him 7 squads and, more importantly, two leaders down. I had lost two HS and gained two 8-0's, so IJA would need atleast one turn more to clean up and would be restricted to the one leader starting any banzais. Nils-Gunnar conceded again.
Needless to say he was very disatiesfied with two games like that, and wanted a third one for "real". Sticking to the IJA theme we selected SP 30 Evicting Yamagishi. This is a perl! A Russian heavy attack to dislodge any IJA HMG / Guns overlooking the wood-road. I got the IJA again and made my worst mistake over the weekend in the Setup. I found a really nice place for the Roadblock, next to a water obstacle with Bamboo on the next side. I placed a Bunker some hexes behind with a -1 leader and HMG too keep the Russkies from clearing it fast. Behind the large hill I put two three squads (being able to move to the center fast via the path if needed) to stop any rushes over the OG there. A wire went there as well next to bamboo, to force him up on the hill to move. On the right to cower his possible approach to flank the defenders via the road there I placed a Trench in road-wood hex closest on my side of the bridge with a 228/HMG and a 448/LtMtr. On the other side was a HIP 347 with a 2AT Daisy chain. One more HIP 347 with a ditto daisy chain was behind the Trench. As a final retreat was pillbox at the far rear with LOS to the important road. Uphill from went two mine fields. This were the last stand would be.
The mistake was that PTO was _not_ in effect... No PTO, no bamboo. The roadblock was now setup between the water obstacle and a _brush_ hex. Same thing for the Wire on the far left. It took two turns untill I made the connections. Back to the start. The initial two pre-fame place OBA missed all my units except some in Pillbox with no effect at all. I laid a HMG FL down the long road to keep the Infantry running through woods as much as possible. Nils-Gunnar did not even consider going down the flanking road but still had units close to make it a threat so I couldn't give up guarding it till turn 3 - 4. A seconds large infantry only group took the long way over the wooden hills on the IJA left. The Russians pressed for three turns with the main with no big events. The leading T-34 was almost taken out by a HS assisted by two T-H heroes, but a massive defensive fire from the tanks behind it saved him. One more T-H and it would have gone through. As I broke his 9-2 and two squads on a lucky shoot they routed back to another T-34 parked in the woods close the center road. I tried to Banzai them with two squads and a leader, but the guarding squad and the T-34 proved sufficient to prevent that. As I fell back the Russians reached the end of the open area in the center and furious fighting evolved first at the INF gun position just inside of the woods. Two tanks rushed through to my last pillbox now containing the 228/HMG which had withdrawn from the flanking road. IJA missed a really good chance to take out one of the forward isolated tanks in CC with a T-H, and then by pinning on two further T-H attempts. The seconds russian tank parked PBF to the Pillbox and started pushing 122 mm shells through the openings. All my infantry (4 squads, 1 leader) converged on this area to help the HMG crew to prevail. Russian infantry having run all the way over the hill came to help out the tanks, and though breaking on the mines stayed close and rallied. I finally dispatched the T-34 but could not stop the 122 mm shells supported by a DC and a FT from killing the Crew and winning the game for the Russians. A very intense game and brilliant fun.
Around 2300 after quick dose of fast food I sat down with Patrik Manlig to play a scenario from the new AP#2, Ace in Hole (?). I got the Germans by DR. The VC require the Germans to keep at least one unbroken MMC in a multihex building on one of the new boards. The US has 5 Shermans and a Pershing, supported by quite a crowd of 666/667's and the usual array of MG's, Baz and LtMtrs. Oh, and a gyro and a 9-1 AL to placed in a capable Sherman. The Germans have 467/468's, some MG's, and two PzKwIVJ (I think), a Stug and a Tiger I. The new board that had to be defended looks a like a board 10 with a small two level hill on the right side outside the village instead of the wooden area on board 10. I sat up the Stug and Tiger there (both CE) but failed rolling up some HD for both. One PzIV went into the middle board to the far left, concealed backwards in a Wood hex (but with TCA in US direction), ready to leave as soon as it got hot. The other PzIV went into the middle of the centre board. To confuse a little I sat up a dummy 5/8 elswhere and sprinkled some infantry on the middle board with the rest along the boarder of the village.
The US also setup on board, and Patrik selected to come down hard on the village flank with only a HS/LtMtr on the other side. US first rushed two HS along the border edge to distract the ?(PzIV), followed by a Sherman comming up to three hexes distant and leaving a sD generated Smoke there, finally hiding behind it. The Pershing went forward and placed himself opposite to the PzIV on six hexes or so distance. The US infantry was held up by a brave 468/LMG assisted by the CMG of flanking PzIV and the middle PzIV as well. The remaining Shermans hid behind the woods from Tiger/StuG combo, firing at my 468/LMG. I'm a bit dizzy on the details, but I think the PzIV then opened up and Shocked the Sherman. The Tiger & StuG shoot up some infantry. The 468/LMG was broken in his AFPh. In my turn the Shocked Sherman passed on to the UK stage. Some more infantry was hit with fire from the Hill, and I decided that the PzIV in the woods would be better of engaging the Pershing and hoping for a turret hit. The first hit the hull, so an IF came next as I figured it would not survive anyway. Snakes! And the big one was gone. I pulled back the PSK squad. In his defensive fire his in Motion Sherman killed my centre PzIV due to being the Gyro/AL one.
The UK tank died and Patrik continued to push, but the infantry lost the nerve and ended up broken mostly. A Sherman went of in the centre direction, but was killed by the StuG. Another Sherman tried to take out the PzIV in the woods from outside TCA, but died due to another IF shoot. His gyro guy came around and finished the PzIV. In the following German turn I pounded the infantry some more, but basically withdrew further into the village.
US rallied lots of guys, but when the CE gyro/AL tank got hit by a Sniper "1" and his last tank malf'ed the MA Patrik had to concede, especially as the CVP cap was only 7 points away.
On sunday I had to leave early so Klas Malmström and I selected one of the smaller T scenarios, Ranger Stronghold. This is lot like Surrender or Die, but on board 2. I drew the 10-3 lead US paras. On the far right I put a HS and on the far left a 747/Baz as speed bumpers. The 10-3 defended in the right rear with a HS/MMG, next to a 747/Baz. On the other side the 8-0 and rest defended. All out of initial german LOS. Taking it carefully Klas eliminated the HS (whom had broken a 467), and surrounded the hapless 747, which died in the second turn. He got up on the hill unmolested, and I advanced out the 10-3 with the HS / and Baz squad to a crest line, threatening a forward PzIV. In his next prep a measly IFT 6+0 pinned the 10-3, and after that they were quickly and efficiently surrounded and eliminated. Game Over. No misses by the German side there.
Thanks to Klas for arranging this annual weekend of ASL fun!
