Sissukoni 2001
Sissukoni Perkele 2001
I arrived by flight on the Thursday to be picked up by Tuomo again. We spent the evening discussing ASL and drinking beer. Next day we drove of to the Parola Armor museum were on can see most of the AFV's used by the Finns duringh WW2. It is pretty cool playing in a little house owerwatched by a ISU-152, some StuG's and more. It also had some used stuff on sale, like ammo cartridges for the Lahti in a wooden box, 81 mm MTR shells, shells for the german 88 Flak and more - all to heavy for carry on luggage ;-).
The first round paired me with Daniel Quarfordt, a fellow Swede, and rolling dice for side I got the Germans to defend against the Canadian attackers. As usual I set up with a fairly forward defence. It was hard to find a good hex for the 81 mm MTR and in the end I placed it on the German left, in an OG hex, overlooking the entry off board 24. I placed the Pz IIIH in the hex in front of it. Most of the infantry was also guarding the board 24 with two squads and the PzIVH on the other board. Daniel entered with everything on board 24. He killed my PzIII and run up with two Sherman Adajcent to the MTR and BF fired at them, but they held. Though their fire did nothing. Most of the Canadian infantry entered through the Gully. The defensive fire did little to harm the attackers. In my defensive fire the forward guard in the form of the MTR crew fired ther MTR again with no effect. The rest of my units pulled back except for the PzIV who went forward to fire on the Canadian AFVs from the side, but the rearmost Sherman swiwelled around, fired and took out the PzIV... Uck. Four AFV's to none for me, and no reinforcement till turn 4. Incredibly the MTR crew held out once again under the attention of the two Shermans! In his second turn Daniel again fired on the crew, which survived again unscathed. The Canadian infantry emerged from the gully at the Bridge and started to move forward. As the 4th Sherman was going to cross the bridge my HIP 548/PSK reached out and killed it.. Then in the DFPh the MTR crew suddenly remembered that they had the PF's with them, tried to find one and scored a hit. One Sherman (+ AL9-1) less! In his advance he advanced in on the MTR crew, but was ambushed so it could withdraw down into the Valley. Now adjacent to another Sherman the Crew found another PF in my next PFPh but missed the Sherman. The Canadians were down to three Shermans, but still a lot of Infantry and the 10-3. When Daniel moved again the Germans scored a 1KIA agains the 10-3 and the stack he was moving with, random selected picked a squad. Unfortunately we forgot about the SSR provided Hero status and broke the 10-3 (he was wounded later). After roughly a turn we thought about it and returned him to GO again, but the Canadians lost his use for a turn. In the meanwhile most of the German infantry had pulled back to village. In the middle was a 9-1, 467/MMG flanked by a 548/LMG. To the german right was some individual squads including the 548/PSK which were on its way back. A Sherman had penetrated into the village, and the buld of their Infantry was at the woods on the German left. Time for the German reinforcements! The two PzIVH entered to be placed behind of the remaining Shermans. One managed to get HD status at the brink of the valley, but other not. Both survived to take out all the Shermans! From then on the situation improved for the Germans and in the end there was little chance of a Canadian victory. An intresting game that went from lost to won. 1-0
Actually my first playing of this scenario! Pasi Heijmla got the Germans. He started moving and sent the PzIII up to guard the terrain opposite on the German right and the HT and PSW to watch the bridge with road. The infantry moved to the big stone building in the middle. As the Russians I moved two of BA-6's as far as possible along the roads without showing themselves to the HT / PSW. The other three stopped opposite the open area around the middle of the gully. The MC infantry went over the bridge on my left. Finally my 76LL toting tractor moved over the same bridge, reversed and parked on the bridge with the TCA rearwards right. In his second turn Pasi moved the infantry into position on the 2nd lvl and advanced with the PzIII and was just going to stop opposing my MC's when he saw a LOS from the right flank BA-6's and used BFF to fire (miss) and moved another hex forward stopping there. Alas, this put him in another, trickier LOS from the 76LL which changed the TCA and test fired using HE. The LOS was clear, in my next PFPh an AP round finsihed it off. The MC's surged forward and was rewarded by a K/1 from the German 248/LMG combo but managed the moral check and continued. Next turn my def fire broke the 248 and the leader, giving the russian infantry a free way forward. A BA-6 had bogged when leaving the gully, but the other two continued forward to distract the HT (the PSW was withdrawn to shot at the Russian infantry, should they try to exit with their prisoners). The German HT finished a BA-6 with its 37L, but was done in by the others. Finally the PSW broke its gun and Pasi had to give in. 2-0
In the this round, which was the Red Barricades turn I drew Mel Falk, who lives and breathes the Red Barricades map, having played countless CG's. Oh well. There were some unclear parts to this scenario, like exactly how is the rolling for MC's handled and when is concealment lost. Tuomo as the tourney manager settled it as since play had not started there was no LOS possible for the Infantry taking the MC's. In this scenario the Russian has extremly good leadership with 5 leaders for seven squads! One being a 10-3 and at least one, possibly two commisars. Squads are from 426 to 628, and all supported by two T-70 and a FT toting OT-130. Opposing that the German player has eight squads (447 through 548), two leaders, a PzIIIH, two StuG IIIB's, a 37L armed HT and some mines. Main AT weapon for the infantry is a DC. The pre-game bombardement is real funny as my first unit to check, the 7-0, rolls boxcars for the MC followed by a 6 on the wound check as well... Ugh. Otherwise two squads on my left flank are affected, one breaking and one pinning. Mel start by pushing hard with the infantry and comes the OT-130 alone, rolls up to the front and aims for a stack with the FT, and rolls .. boxcars! One T-70 fails its starts NTC, but the other goes forward and into the gully on my left. Initially I can hold well, but is being pushed back when the 10-3 arrives at the front. After three turns it looks nasty, one StuG has been shocked for two turns (it came back but was hit again), the 37L HT was gone and my right side was held by a squads and the StuG, there was also two broken squads. The remaining leader and 548 armed with the DC watched the gully on my left. In the middle was my strongpoint, a 467/MMG and the PzIIIH. The T-70 moved through the gully, through the AP6 minefield there and threatened to emerge at my rear. The Russians pushed more, and the 10-3 was broken. I tried to catch him, but he self rallied and broke my attending squad. It looked rather tough, but! One of the broken squads self rallied on a 1,1 and generated an 8-0 leader! The squad moved forward to improve the defenses. The T-70 on the left was Recalled. Mel used a commisar to pull fire and advanced with the 10-3 again, this time stacked with two squads and was broken by a 1MC (at 16+1). On my left I decided to use the DC which I had saved for a T-70 against a 8-0 & a 628 at the gully. Boom! And they were burried under a rubbled house. The thrower(s) escaped unscathed. In my turn I could surround the broken 10-3 with a StuG and eliminated them. Thereafter it was really done but Mel continued for a while. Cool little scenario! 3-0
Saturday evening and the next to last round: PTO. After a healthy dose of sauna I played Mikko Lukkari. We both wanted to play this scenario and the dice gave me the Gurkhas. Doing his setup Mikko apparantly didn't put anyone on the path during the woods on the Gurkha left, the only pieces visibly was back in the village. Except for two stacks in the middle and on my right I sent all the forces that way. A minor oops in my setup was that I gave the 76mm MTR to a HS instead of the crew... In the first turn the Gurkhas moved a bit cautiously, but defenders was visible so at turn 2 it was full speed forward. Mikko scrambled some defenders over to cower the path, but they only arrived as the gurkhas were three or four hexes away. Some bump recon loosed their concealment and first one 447 was eliminated in CC followed by another and a leader in the following turn. IJA had stronghold on the hill between the boards opposite the village consisting of a leader and a 447/LMG. They withstood one attack by a FT and on by the 9-2 and two squads with LMG but were eliminated by the second FT the turn thereafter. There were few casualties for the Gurkha, only a few brokies and the village could not hold on as some units went all the way around it, cleaning up from behind. Somwehere halfpast one in the night Mikko throw in the towel. 4-0
So having arrived in the final this year also I sat down to play Tuomo Lukkari. We've played before being 1-1. The dice gave me the Germans. It is nice looking scenario with some serious toys (gimme Heavy Metal and I'm happy!). Tuomo set up in the middle pretty much cowering the houses and adding some FH's to make it a big amoeba like blob of +2 TEM terrain. On the hill he placed the MMG with a squad. The IS-2 was in the middle of village cowering the middle of the German entry area. The T-34/85 watched down the road on the adjcent road. I wanted to enter two Panthers and the PzIV at the far right, suspecting the russian AT to hidden there and to force the AFV in the village (I didn't know which was which yet) to at least change TCA before shooting at me. The third Panther wanted to go through the bog hexes on the left to take on the T-34/85. Starting with a leader stacked with 2 x 548 they moved around the marsh into the woods to place some Smoke grenades there, got shoot at by the squad/MMG but managed all checks to place one smoke. Next came solo 548 and placed a second Smoke in the LOS of the T-34/85. Cool. Enters the Panther, goes through without bogging, passes into LOS behind the Smoke, no defensive fire. Moves out in a bad way (Tuomo showed me a nice path after game) and the T-34/85 fires, reaching for APCR at a 7, gets it and kills the Panther! So much for the German armour. Enter a Panther on the other flank with a squad for riders, it goes along the wooden edge up to the Orchard were I suspect the AT is. I should have stopped there, but my hand moves it into the Orchard. First the raiders bail out, rolling boxcars and dies promptly. Next Tuomo consults the Overun QRC (I love that chart!), places the AT in the same hex, fires with a rear facing hit killing Panther #2. This really sucked... Ok.
Next comes PzIV rolls to the crew and breaks it with BFF MG's. It fires the MA at the IS-2 just for the sake of it; and YES another boxcar. The final Panther goes around the and can fire on the IS-2 from behind. The IS-2 tries a defensive fire shoot misses (IIRC). I fire my MA and hits it in the hull, roll for TK but only get the exact number so the IS-2 is immobilized. However, the crew fails its NTC and abandons it. Needless to say the PzV can dispatch them (I mean when hasn't an abandoning crew gone down on you?). The panther is placed quite well, at two hexes distance from the houses, but Adjacent to a FH with some concealed russkies in. In his turn Tuomo tries the one time sD on the T-34/85 as he (I was hoping not) has also seen the LOS from my Panther through the village ending at it. It fails, and as it starts the Panther hits and eliminates it as well. The russian gun crew has to rout away from their gun due my adjacent units. The russians regroups only slightly advacing towards the Panther. In his APh a squad passes its PAATC and enters, but can't kill it. In my prep fire I manage to clean up in the Panthers hex and around it. My infantry reach the loone forward building, but Tuomo holds on to some FH in the middle at the same height. I advance in for some CC, but is locked in Melee up as no effect is rolled. But! The turn before the Russian reinforcements arrive a squad captures the IS-2 and man it with a HS! I'd loved and got a style point from Tuomo. As he withdrew a single 447 soaked up the defensive fire from all germans with ease, pausing only to produce a hero. The CC melee continued in spite of me reinforcing it, but I caused a CR. It was blocking my entry into the village middle. In the meanwhile the PzIV exited with its broke MA for the VP it as worth. A HS had manhandled the Russian AT 4 or 6 hexes towards the exit. The Russian MMG was also malfed. Then the Russian reinforcements arrived, two ship gun mounting SU-100's. Tuomo parked both of the out of LOS from the remaining panther guarding his last house in the village. I had to come for him. The Panther went forward, choosing to go through a Wooden building for TEM provided. Survived without hitting the Celler (important) and without Bogging (less important). Tuomo defensive fired a SU-100, and missed – but my PzV didn't hit either. The other SU bouding the fired at my captured IS-2 (which had only changed TCA to fire at the SU-100 in my turn) and just about hit it! It was killed of course and a style point for Tuomo. His hero created another Melee in the middle as I cleared up the first one.
I don't remember exactly how the rest went, but his SU-100 killed my panther. I managed to get a 548/MMG into the last house. As they fired a PF on the adjacent SU they rolled 1 for K/1, reduced but survived the MC without breaking, which was crucial as I still needed to exit 6 VP in addition to holding on to the four buildings. As he had some infantry that could reach the buildings I had only te exact 6VP required to exit. That would leave one building with the HS/MMG and the other three empty. IF they got off! One SU-100/527 was between the village and the edge. Well, I started with a leader, squad + HS that went in long circle, surviving a shoot at -2 and and AP hit for IFT 2 from the SU-100. They were to advance off later. Last mover, a squad. He run through the Orcahrds, and was hit first by 4+0 (cowered) from the 527, still ok, then hit with 4-1 from behind, still ok making his MC's and PTC's, another 4+1 and 2+0 later he was still ok and rached his destination to be able to advance off. Tuomo couldn't believe his eyes. Well, he only had to retake one building to win. The SU-100 started an Armored assault with 527 to get there. The HS with At tried for a PF, but missed. The HS/MMG fired, got ROF but no effect. One hex later and adjacent to the buildings it fired again and the 527 broke. Last hope for Tuomo, a leader with a squad running over two open hexes to get into the buildings. I had three or four attacks at -2, but no effect. Final shoot was 8+1 or 12+1 from my rear through the now Smoking IS-2, hit and both units failed their MC! Wow. That was a really tense game! In the last turns I made some critical DR's and Tuomo not otherwise it would have been his game. 5-0 and winner.