Scandinavian Open 98
I spent the weekend in Copenhagen enjoying 2.5 days of ASL.
The first game was PBP #14 Under Siege against Mel Falk from Sweden (playing in the final as I was leaving on the sunday). I got the Germans and set up with three squads in the 5 hex building across the street, and the HMG in X6 cowering the V formed roads. The AT was HIP in the same hex waiting for a T-34 to position itself for taking out the HMG. This also worked, but in turn 2 the AT malfunctioned, the HMG malfunctioned and the leader withdrawing from across the street was pinned in the street and broken. Mel had no problems exploiting this and the German situation quickly detoriated. The three leaders where broken by four MC's and I conceded. 0-1
In the second round the choice was between two Nhum Pah scenarios and PBP16 Bloody Ridge. I played Michael Petersen from Denmark and we decided to play the latter. This is PTO Night scenario having IJA assaulting a hill to take four out of six objective hexes. The USMC defending have a 60 mm OBA and a onboard LtMtr together with some MG's to stop the IJA. Michael set up defending all six of the targets, with a HIP squad/MMG guarding his right flank. Play went quickly and though my leaders where as weak in round one (it took five morale checks to wound three out of four leaders). I advanced slowly in the middle, with some dummy cloaking counters up front. Michael had no luck whatsoever with his starshells and IR's, where I only needed one or two starshells per phase. In the midgame his OBA drifted behind my lines and I used the opportunity to Banzai up the hills after a smaller Banzai to draw some fire, and eliminated one squad for failure to rout (sitting on his Foxhole) and broke another. That also meant the loss of his .50 cal and central defensive position. Michael then conceded when I had the 4 hexes I needed. This was a fun scenario. 1-1
In the third round I got to meet Mikael Siemsen, on of the organizers. We ended up playing Tabbacchio Fiocche with me defending as the Germans.
This became the weirdest game I have ever played.
The US forces enter from offboard across three boards and must take one specified building and two others. These are located in the rear half of the middle board. In the important building (two level stone) went the 9-1 with a 467/HMG. Next to him a HS as spotter for two 81 mm MTR. A 75L AT went into a building nearby. The right flank was cowered by two 250/1, a 467/LMG and further back a 8-1, 467/MMG. The left flank got the 50L AT and a HS. The sMG HT was setup behind the buildings with a HS passenger to offload the dmHMG. The rest of the units were scattered in the middle with a lone SPW 251/1 guarding the lvl one hill directly across the nearest path to the buildings. Mikael entered with all 7 tanks and most of the 19 666's in the middle with a smaller flanking force on my right. Two tanks carry riders and the HMG breaks one squad, which CR's as it bails out.
This is the only casualty for four complete turns that I inflict. One HalfSquad... I break an additional two or three squads during the same time. It doesn't matter much what Mikael does; I cannot harm him. Getting ROF with 81 mm MTR against units in woods is normally pretty deadly (at least when I am on the receiving end...). Nada damage. Oh, I forgot the start. After having entered Michael proceded to fire some tank MA ATT to gain aquisition against the HMG nest. First TH roll: 1,1. Argh. But since it is unlikely hit it ends in only a normal and turns out be a 3MC. The 9-1 rolls snake eyes as well, but berserks.. Next tank goes throgh the same procedure, including rolling 1,1 for to hit. His OBA SR (100 mm) wanders out of LOS the first time placed, but then centers nicely on my building again. The Zerk leader is now running wildly across the board to stop the US on his own so he temporarily safe (a new definition of "safe"). But everything else around the building is smashed. Through three consequtive FFE concentrations the building and surrounding hexes are all but cleared out with IFT DR's averaging four (several CH's). It was ugly. The only thing saved was the 75L AT and the HMG toting HS from the sMG, both being placed in the two one hex buildings to the right of the tobacco plant. Mikael was proceding nicely, but perhaps a bit too cautiously. In my turn three I got three Pz's as reinforcements; on IVF2 and two MKIVH. I placed the IVH's in defensive positions behind the buildings. The F2 went up on my right flank along the road. In this area all I had left was a skulking 251/1 HT and some dummies. Turn 4 saw some maneovering, more dead on my side as my second HOB of game also had turned a 467 into, yes, berserks again, and they meet their end at a 30-3 or so IFT attack. I managed to pin a squad again with the PzIVH. Remember this is against Moral 6 units.
Then came turn 5 and Mikael decided to finish the game and rushed forward with most of his units. He parked a tank at PBF range from my still HIP AT 75L, two others also in range of that gun and a PzIVH. When moving a final tank it comes withing firing range of my lone PzIVF2 on my right, and dies! Yep, another casualty for the US after that HS in turn one. Time for my Defensive Fire Phase. First out is the 75L taking aim at the tank furthest away (sawing the adjacent one for a IF if necessary). Boom! Tank two gone. No ROF. Next the PzIVH fires and kills the second of the three forward tanks. Finally an IF shoot from the AT at the Adjacent tank, which also dies (the AT doesn't malf). This allows some moving around in my turn five; a 8-0 and three squads are scrambling back from the left and reaches the buildings, from the left 8-1, 467/MMG reaches the houses on the right of the Tobacco plant. One IVH moves forward and breaks a killer stack in the woods opposing the two smaller houses. Far behind the front the skulking SPW 251/1 starts and moves in to OVR his radio carrying leader in the open (with an ESB) and wounds him. After this turn we decide to have the game judged as it is late. We present our cases and leaves. 20 mins later I get the win. Mikael was being punished for the to cautious advance followed by the armored rush but still took this well and I hope we get to play again next year. 2-1
In fourth round I played Peter Lageri, yet another dane. This time we excluded each others choices and had to play Red Wave, a scenario I don't like to much. I got the Russians. Peter put almost all of his units behind the middle on his side, leaving 2.5 squads in front of it. I started out by losing my strong point (LtMtr + MMG) to his MMG fire. Then I moved most of my guys over the right hand hill. Here they catched and eliminated a lone squad. In my second turn I then decided for the obligatory Human Wave, and had my Commisar + 3 squads wiped out by a snake eye on 8-2, and a couple of other squads lost at the same time without reaching my target. Failing my personal TC I gave up. 2-2
In the final round I played Derek Tocher, a Scot relocated to London. We did not want to play KE5 Lion's Share (I saw two these being played and both were over after the second turn without the defender getting ROF to stop the racing Germans). So we went for Hamlet's Demise with Derek bidding G2 (adding 458 + 228/INF Gun to the French and demoting the 838 to a 338) which was quite a lot IMO. The French have to decide on how to fall back in this one. I put a squad to in woods on the front left, and behind them in HD position the AFV. In the rear woods I put the AT 25LL with the idea of retreating the AFV and hoping that Derek would think side open now to his AFV's. In the middle three squads were setup to lay down ResFP supported by a 8-0, 458/MMG on the rear left and the 228/INF on the rear right. Derek pushed in the middle with some nice Smoke discharing from his AFV's. I killed a HS early. The PzI was received Stun from the MMG, and the INF 37* and the AFV MA wounded his 7-0/FT while pinning some squads as well. He was pushing hard in the second turn, moving in with the PzII among the buidings in the middle. I did not try to hold him off but backed furhter back. My AFV surged forward to attack the PzI whom had also malf'ed it's MA, but missed a BFF kill attampt, then positioned itself behind his PzIII. In his response he sent some squads back with a leader to CC my daring vehicle. But it survived, my infantry fell back again, now reaching the wooded hills. He moved both his PzI and PzII into LOS of my AT 25LL and pushed hard again with his squads in the middle. My 25LL took a two shoots at the PzII but failed to penetrate. My AFV survived the CC as his leader only got the 338 with him in CC. My turn I started by hitting his PzII again with the AT, getting ROF and a SAN Pin for his part. His Sniper naturally went on pin my AT crew... And my IF shoot was Boxcars too. Nice going there for a while. My AFV survived CC again, but died in his PFPh. Guess I should have moved on. I got his PzI on a CH from the 228/INF but lost some prisoners and squads so he had 11 out of the 12 required CVP's and I resigned. A nice and intensive game. I hope to see Derek around again for another game. 2-3
Thanks to Mikael Siemsen and Michael Hastrup-Leth for a very good tourney and this guy is comming back next year.