Hi everybody,
Tom Mueller and I just wrapped up 18AM of ABTF CG III. It was another banner day for the Brits, and the scenario ended with them in control of nearly all the blocks.
17N ended with the Brits in control of blocks H and I. Blocks K and J were both uncontrolled, and all other blocks east of the bridge were German controlled. My British force only suffered one squad-equivalent KIAd on 17N, so my on-map force to start 18AM was 25 squads plus the 57L ATG and the 76mm MTR. Tom had two 838s, two 658s, a 228 crew, a 7-0 and a 9-1 to start 18AM. To add to this disparity, Tom rolled a 3 on his variable CPP DR and thus got only 18CPP while I rolled a 10 and got 30CPP.
Tom purchased one SS Rifle Pltn from KG Knaust (the north edge), one VG Pltn from KG Brinkman (the east edge), one VG Pltn from KG Harder (the west edge), one 120mm OBA with off-board observer, and one 80mm OBA with off-board observer.
I purchased 4 x Para Pltn, 1 Glider Pltn, 1 Commando Pltn, and 1 Engineer Pltn. Plus, the Brits get one Para Pltn and one Glider Pltn as OB-Given reinforcements on 18AM. This gave me an extra 34 squads in addition to the 25 on the map.
Tom set up his entire on-map force in Block O. I set up about half my force in Block H, and half in Block I. My entering reinforcements were set up to move ahead quickly to shore up my attack of Block O as well as defend against any entering German RGs along the North and West map edges.
My goals were twofold for 18AM. First, I wanted to KIA all of the on-map Germans while keeping myself in position to counter-attack any entering German RGs. The Brits have such an overwhelming advantage in numbers early on that they have to use their force aggressively. Second, I wanted to take as many blocks as possible. I figure that once controlled, it will be reasonably easy to hold on to ones that I want, and can choose to give up any that I don't feel I can defend.
My force in Block H moved quickly (one MPh) into Block K, since it was uncontrolled. This put about 12 squads with good leaders (9-1 or better) right across the street from some of the Germans in Block O. My guys in Block I moved through Block J into Block L. Some of my RGs moved east as fast as possible, but I dropped off about 6 squads or so in Blocks E, G, D and C to screen against any Germans entering behind me. Three stacks also pushed east across block F into the north part of Block H to defend against any entering Germans along the North edge, and were in a position to move back West if needed. In the DFPh, Tom drew a red card for his 120mm OBA, but managed to place a SR from the 80mm module. In his Player Turn 1, his 120mm drew another red card, and the observer for that module was officially out to lunch. Bad for the Germans. Sure, Tom gets to keep the module for 18PM, but he really could have used it. Once I knew it was no longer a threat, I could bunch up, ! or even stack, freely. His Player Turn 1 also saw the first German casualties: one 838 bought the farm on a series of Brit fire attacks and some poor morale check DRs.
Tom entered only part of his reinforcements on Turn 1: an 8-1 with a LMG/658 moved into block M (hex T0) to try to interdict my movement across the road from Block K into Block O. This forced me to send some squads north to deal with those guys, but I had enough pressure on Block O anyway. My squads in the south were pushing up through Block P, and I still had plenty to attack with in Block K. The Block T defenders were wiped out after they went berserk and had to charge through a wide city boulevard; you just aren't going to survive many 20FP -3 attacks.
After 3 more turns of fighting, Block O was clear. Tom's 80mm OBA managed to only break 2 squads during the fight for Block O, and actually revealed a HIP 658 when the FFE drifted a little off-target. One remaining 658 with the 7-0 routed into Bock N and were pursued and captured. This, on the start of Brit Turn 5, left the map clear of Germans, since Tom kept his RGs off the map, expect for the little Block T force. Realizing that he would probably enter his RGs on Turn 5 (with a chance that the scenario could end, he had to, since any RG not entered is eliminated with full CVP awarded), I started to fan out my troops to cover likely entry areas.
Tom did bring his RGs on the map on his Turn 5. One VG RG moved into Block Y, and one VG RG along with the remnants of the SS Rifle RG moved into Block A. This was as far as either German force could get without being blasted by some of my sentry squads. The scenario didn't end, so we moved on to Turn 6. I used my MPh to send more squads to the SE and NW corners of the map, positioning about 12 squads across the roads from each block A and Y, with more on the way if the scenario went to turn 7. In the German Player Turn 6, we traded ineffective shots up at Block A. Tom wasn't going to throw squads at me to try to get into Block C, and I don't blame him. No sense in losing squads just to take that Block, when the Brits probably will have to give it up soon anyway...it's pretty exposed and can be surrounded easily by RGs entering from the North and West edges.
The SE corner was a different story. Tom wanted to get a MMC into Block R, to force me out in the RePh (the block started the scenario German-controlled). He used his 80mm OBA to drop a smoke FFE on my guys in Block R, who were positioned across the street from Tom's Germans in Block Y. But the FFE wasn't accurate and it drifted behind my troops so that it left most of my force with unhindered LOS to the street he needed to cross. Only one stack (a 9-1 with 3 x 648) was in a +3 smoke. Tom tried to force his way into Block R anyway, which I'm not sure was a good idea. After seeing that the smoke wasn't going to do him much good, he maybe should have just skulked and hung onto his squads in Block Y. Instead he deployed one squad and dashed the first HS out into the street where it was broken and ELRed by a 10-2, MMG/648, LMG/648 stack up on the roof of HH14. The second HS was KIAd outright, and so were the two squads that tried to make it by the rest of my force around h! exes HH17, GG18, and GG19. Defensive fire actions KIAd the remaining broken HS.
That was a high price to pay just to try retain control of Block R, a block that probably is relatively easily re-taken since it's primo AFV country and has lots of OG to blast Brits with OBA as they try to retreat out of it. I really did want to gain control of the block, but wasn't too concerned about the chances of having to let the Germans keep it. This is because I wouldn't have had to roll to escape, since all my stuff in Block R was adjacent to a road hex. They would have just been retained into the nearest setup areas (either Block S or Block Q). Still, Block R is useful to the Germans since it directly threatens Block L by the Bridge. And it offers an opportunity to move through Block P to attack the Schoolhouse in Block K.
So, 18AM ended after 6 Game Turns, with the Germans holding Blocks A, X, Y, and Z. The rest of the blocks, including the blockhouse on the bridge, are all British-controlled [EXC: Block B remains uncontrolled]. The Germans have 5 squads (two 658s, and three 447s), a LMG, and a 6+1 in Block A. In Block Y is a German 8-0 with a LMG. My British took no casualties on 18AM, so I have 59 squads and 18 leaders, as well as the 57L ATG and the 76mm MTR. Since I made a head-long rush to protect entry areas and take blocks at the end of the scenario, I'll have to make a few shift DRs to get my troops where I want them for the 18PM. I figured it was worth it, since about the worst thing that can happen to the Brits on the Shift Table is that shifting units may get stuck where they are, and then only if they roll some thing on the order of an 11. War booty so far includes the German 50L ATG, a DC, a 50mm MTR, and 4 or 5 LMGs.
The Brit strategy for 18AM I think is fairly obvious: take as much of the map as you feel you need to, and kill any on-map German forces. The German can keep his RGs off the map until Turn 5 (or risk the 1 in 6 chance of the scenario ending on Turn 5 and wait until turn 6). By Turn 5, the Brits probably will be pretty scattered. This means the Germans, if they pick their entrance area right, may be able to sneak in a few squads to either capture some blocks or retain control of some blocks. If the German tries this Turn 5 late-entry strategy, Tom and I agree that his best option is to purchase SS Recon Platoons. You get 3 348 SS HS, 3 SPW 250/1 HTs, and 1 SPW 250/10 HT (with the 37L gun). This has enough mobility to get deep into the map, and the HSs can jump out and take/retain control of a block. This tactic would be particularly useful when combined with OBA to keep Brits from moving to counter the threat (for example, Tom still had his 80mm OBA going). Furthermore,! the Brits won't have much in the way of AT capability, with just their one 57L and their one 76mm MTR. The PIATs would be avoided, since the strategy doesn't have this recon force fighting anyway. Even if a PIAT shot or two is unavoidable, hitting small, moving HTs at 2 hex range or so is pretty darn hard (7 TH +2 motion +1 small target; even with a -1 leader directing fire, it's still pretty hard).
Our playing of 18AM really highlighted the need for the Germans to fall back and preserve their force on 17N. Tom's small force just wasn't capable of putting up much of a fight, and the battle went as you might expect: 8 dead German squads and 3 leaders in exchange for no Brits. The Germans just can't afford to lose so many squads without inflicting some casualties on the Brits. To inflict casualties, they need troops, which means falling back on 17N, and maybe not even getting any 17N RGs into the fight.
18PM will be interesting. I know I'll be facing the 120mm OBA that was retained from 18AM and the five squads in Block A. I have to decide how to position my troops to accomplish the obvious Brit concerns for 18PM. I want to maintain my aggressiveness to KIA as many more German squads as I can, but at the same time, I don't want to risk a local problem of having a block cut off and destroyed. The blocks in the corners (i.e. C, D, E, F, V, and W) seem particularly dangerous. C, D, E, and F may be ok on 18PM since the Brits will still have a sizable number of reinforcements entering on the West edge.
Mike
Michael J. Licari
Assistant Professor, Dept. of Political Science
Binghamton University (SUNY)
http://bingweb.binghamton.edu/~mlicari
This page last updated 3/18/00
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