Hello Listers of all beliefs,
Attended the exercise in sleep deprivation that was Berserk 2000 in Blackpool, England last weekend. Here are some vague recollections from the games I played:
Round 1 - J20 The Guns of Naro
I had the US attacking Ulrich Schwela's Italians. Ulrich set up with 2 guns on the 2 level 3 hexes in front of the woods on hill 654, and the other 2 on the level 3 cliffs towards the rear. There was a half squad alone on his extreme right up front, a strong presence in the 2 hex clump of woods on his left with the ATR and the MMG I think, HMG team in the level 3 crags in the middle of the playing area, and a couple of squads way back in the rear.
I led on with my M5's CE to try and place some smoke grenades with little effect - one got stunned in B5 and the other was taken out by an HE hit in the following prep fire phase. One half track tried to run right around his left flank but was immobilised by the ATR and later killed in place. The other half track went into bypass of A7 to hopefully be out of LOS of one of his big guns. The jeeps all unloaded as soon as possible, one under the cliffs and the others on the right of my entry area. The stunned M5 was then shocked by an HE hit in the next turn but eventually recovered and survived the game. The halftrack in bypass idiotically took a shot at the gun I moved there to avoid (LOS blocked) and got one WP round off at the other gun in the next player turn before being turned into a burning wreck. The jeep crews all abandoned their steeds safely with one being immobilised in B6. At this point the Italians had 16 CVP but it stayed at that for almost the entire game. It must be said Ulrich had some rotten luck. He never got a single HEAT round between his 4 guns, rolled 8 boxcars and I went through a long period when I would just roll an endless string of 5's, but he kept smiling to his credit.
The US reinforcements came on with 2 Shermans and squads on my left, 2 up the middle and 2 on the right. Those on the left flank broke his half squad and pursued it as it routed back though the infantry here never got up the hill in the face of his artillery fire. Those in the middle took up positions to bring fire on his forward guns and MGs while providing cover for the infantry, and those on the right drove round the back of his troops in the woods. At the end of the MPh I noticed I had given a side shot at one of the M4s but fortunately my opponent didn't take it.
Things went a bit pear-shaped for the Ities after this. One of the forward guns malfed and then Xed out while the crew of the other was killed. Troops in the woods (with malfed ATR and MMG) came under heavy fire with at least one squad surrendering. The Italians had an incredible 8 shot ROF streak with their HMG but all they achieved was the breaking of one squad which routed safely. When the German planes came on, the first malfed its MGs and missed with its bombs while the second boxed its sighting TC! From then on it was just a case of rounding up his remaining forces without giving away any easy CVP (the only other US casualties came when the woods caught fire from the blazing wreck and spread, consuming the immobilised jeep). Ulrich threw in the towel when the rear pair of guns were unmanned and most of his remaining guys were broken and surrounded on the high ground.
Not a bad little scenario which appeared to be the most popular choice for this round. Things would have been a lot tougher for me had the air support done its job and if one of the guns was hidden away in an awkward place.
This page last updated 4/26/00
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