Grenadier 1998

the small town Hergarten was host to the 40+ strong crowd of ASL players this weekend. Attenders from Belgium, Holland, France, UK, Canada, Sweden and Germany came to enjoy three days of prime ASL. Arriving late friday evenening I sat down with long time PBEM opponent Hennie van der Salm from Holland. The scenario was logical, having passed through a certain small village a few km before Hergarten....

Game 1: Wollersheim!

This Schwerpunkt scenario pitches a hardhitting US force with four (!) Pershings, 10 667's, some HT's and Shermans against the Germans defending with a JgPz, two Pz IV's, the unusual 105 mm RCL and an AT 75. Both sides get OBA, 150 mm and 120 mm respectively. A DR gave me the US who had to clear one of two hills to win. Hennie put some units on each hill, with the most inf units in between to defend the hill I choose to attack. Most of the US units moved up out of LOS in the middle and offloaded. The OBA leader and three squads went up the hill to be in position later. To the far left a 2 Pershings, a Sherman, a HT and 3-4 squads went to outflank the defender who where weak there. Hennie does land his SR with accuracy near some units (out of LOS) and shuffles some units around in the middle. The JgPz is on the right hill, a PzIV in the middle and the second on the left hill. In his turn the OBA lands and eliminates a squad and a leader. Then another of my squads dies as it rushes up in the woods to cower the vehicles from an advancing german squad. The squad gets into place and PF's a Pershing into oblivion.

I continue with my flanking maneouver unhindered and a pershings gets LOS to the middle PzIV which dies. I infilitrate a HT with a squad on the right side as well. My flankers make it to left hill and breaks the defenders there. Things looks good and Hennie sends out the JgPz to hit a Pershing from behind on my board but misses and dies to defensive fire. In the meanwhile the OBA leader has reached the top of the Hill, prepared by a squad made entrenchment there and lands the 150 mm OBA nicely in the middle. Another german squad dies, the german OBA leader must retreat and the Mr. 10-2 breaks as well, leaving the Germans rather crippled. At which point Hennie resigns. This is a good scenario with many possibilites and we had great fun with it.

"Game 2": WO

This was the first tourney game and my opponent didn't show up...

Game 2, second try: Tiger 222

Klaus Fischer finished his tourney game relatively fast and we sat down to play this. I've played this twice before, losing both times (vs. Ole Boe and Patrik Manlig respectively) so I was eager for a new try. Klaus draw the Germans by DR. The -1 leader, a squad and the MG went into the house opposite to the bridge. I didn't put any US units on the forward side of the stream this time. The AT gun went into Z7 (or so) to have a clear LOS over the Bridge (Bore Sighted). Two AT factors was HIP, a squad+Baz in the graveyard (note: HIP is NA in Graveyards) adjacent to the bridge and a squad+Baz in the orchard behind the stream on the left. On we go. As the first unit in comes the mighty King Tiger to do some scouting! In enters opposite the US right flank and as it goes up the hill straight into the gun sights of the 57L AT it opens up for a deliberate Immob. Bang! Hits and metal heap stops. The crew fails the associated TC and bails out. MMG opens up and a KIA later the US situation is looking that much better!

But then nothing worked for a while... The Schwimmwagens enter and swoop through the hidden minefields (though one dies) right into the Stream. I pop my HIP guy there with the Baz, but no effect. The PzIV's came on, and one was hit by the AT but no effect. The other stops in one of the now known minefields without harm. Then my AT gun crew boxcars on the first NMC... On my left the remaning two Schwimmwagen exits the stream and just passes through 1.5 US squads there firing at PB at them and continues of rear of my front line and offloads a HS there!

I have to send units back to keep the HS from controlling too many buildings. I manage to contain and eliminate it, but the Schwimmwagen again just moves off shrugging of PBF fires. Seems like the King Tiger crew was in the wrong place as these survies unscathed. The germans are regrouping to cross the bridge and my AT Gun is now manned by a HS. The infantry had cleared the known mines so the way was open. The first PzIV gets over the bridge moves one more hex and Stops.

The HIP squad/Baz hits it from the Rear and kills it. As the second starts the HS/Gun hits it (learning on the job!), but fail to kill it. The MMG squad which was broken has rallied and cowers the bridge exit hex with a FL from a ground level. Klaus counts possible VP and gives in.

Game 3: Shootout at Singlingen

I drew a fellow Swede in the second round of the tourney, Robert Maglicia. In spite of being at several tourneys together before we had never played. The bidding gives me the US a third time in row and Robert does his setup. This scenario has lots in common with Wollersheim! but there is no OBA, the target is buildings rather than a hill, and the JgPz is suported by a Panther and a 75L at start. There a no Pershing available to the US, but six Shermans. In an attempt to get some extra points for the tourney I bid US lvl 3 on the ABS, thusigiving him an extra PSK, a 9-1 AL and giving up my 9-2 AL. The infantry, again 667's all enter as PRC. The initial two WP FFE's lands nicely and causes a NMC to his MMG killer stack. The 9-2 rolls boxcars, and is ELR, wounded and broken! Hmmmm! The HMG squad is also broken and the remaining MMG squads is nicely blinded. I can enter without problems, but again fail to concentrate all my AFV's to take out one the german panzers at time, instead spreading them out. Someday I will do this the right way... I send the guys up the middle and offload in the buildings and close to the woods out of his LOS. One AFV swirls his turret to help a 9-1 & 667 to get of the turret with the effect that the 9-1 passes his MC and the 667 HoB to be a fanatic 667! That's the spirit. I proceed to push him back slowly in the middle, but loses my two shermans on the left when they go after the JgPz. The JgPz has it going for him as changing VCA in woods while maintaing ROF bags one. Robert maneouvers the Panther to help up in the middle and bags one of the 76L Shermans (the third of four). The other Sherman (of the 75 mm variety) in his LOS is scared witless, but manages to Smoke the Panther. The remaing two Shermans speeds to the extreme right to come at him from behind. Rather than shooting at the smoker then Panther turns around to go at the flankers, but *without* leaving the turret facing the 75mm Sherman which promptly shoots the turret of him before he leaves the Smoked hex! Ahhh, I enjoyed that as much as Robert hated it. The infantry force in the middle pushes strongly and have the situation in hand. Using smoke they get along nicely till a 467/LMG opens up through the Smoke breaking a squad. The next 667 pushing through gets felled by the LMG which had ROF, also through the smoke. Only a leader gets through. And the Robert reveals the 75L AT which has a nice LOS to the leading right flanker Sherman. The AT is located adjacent to the leader that got through so I have no choice but send him to CC the crew leaving the Broken guys behind him. Another leader and squad must move up to support them and to provide rally assistance. The CC results in nothing leaving them in a Melee. The melee continues for another player turn turn and I reinforce it with two 667's, leaving nothing to chance. They eliminate the crew and Gun. Schade.

Robert moves in his reinforcing Panther and places it two hexes from leading Sherman. I miss my defensive fire and he misses his advancing fire. No IF is taken as the next shoot is pretty sure to hit whatever I try to do. After mucho pondering I remember my sM8 and fires it, whoppie, no smoke! I start, and he fires - kloink - boxcars! Ouch. I Stop and leave the Sherman there to cut of his remaining right infantry force (a leader, two squads). I continue to push in the middle and can advance on my left as well, breaking his outpost. In his turn the Panther repairs the MA and gets his revenge for the humilation earlier. A squad nails a HT, the second flanker Sherman is Recalled. The final Sherman is lost to the JgPz who comes alive. I have no hope of getting enough VP's to win and concede to Robert. We had lots of fun and a really intense game long into the night. A kewl scenario that I recomend.

Game 4: Powderworks

On sunday I played Thom Leedle in this Paddington Bears eastern front game. As Thom hasn't played armor for a while we agree to give him the defending Russians and I get the attacking Germans. We play without any balance as the game is of no consequence in the tourney. He set up to meet a center attack and misses to place any units on the 1st levels so when I enter on my right he is surprised. I manage to break the single the 447 by BFF and move up real fast. In the second turn I have partially gotten around him and have reached the first 1st level building with AFV's and infantry. Everything is under control when some acts of heroism breaks my stride. As my trusty PzIIIJ push forward it comes in LOS of his HIP 45L, but he misses and I park in bypass in an adjacent hex out of LOS. The crew breaks the gun while IF at infantry and decides to attack the PzIII in CC, and immobilizes it. Wanting nothing more of this I move up and engages the crew with a fan468 & a 247. He attack the the fan468 in sequential CC and roll snakes, killing it and withdrawing back to his gun. Ouch. In the multihex building everybody dies as they try to get out except for a 8-0, that reinforce a melee there after a HoB making it Heroic and 8-1. Trusting my 468/DC to come out on top of the opposing 447 I had DFF'ed on them but both were broken. The leader misses the 1:4 at -5 but attacks the broken 468 in his DFF next turn, killing as the NMC result in boxcars. We decided to call it a day as we had 45 mins for the remaining 5.5 turns, settling on a draw.

Thanks to Cristian Koppmeyer for running an excellent tourney and to Andrea in the kitchen for all the food and coffee!