DTF-4 Death To Fascism

Khill

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DTF-4 Death To Fascism got at least three playings at Albany. Michael and Paul have AAR's here. It is an interesting scenario with some tough choices for both sides; from the awesome new Death To Fascism Pack. I would be interested in more discussion of this scenario and hearing from some Russian wins. The following is my two cents:

Don bid Russians and so I defended with the Romanians. Both sides have some tough decisions. The Russians all tried something different, in each playing, but all came up short. Michael did the human wave from the Russian right v. Ron D., Mike H. went up straight up the middle v. Paul, and Don went in on the Russian left in our game.

Don did not take the .50 and went all in on the attack from the Russian left

The Romanians feared most the human wave from the Russian right so they put two squads, LMG, 7-0 and the gun in the woods covering the open ground and MTR w/ a 1/2 squad behind to blast the wood line if the Russians broke through there. I would like to hear more from Michael on how his HW unfolded. I agree with Paul's assessment: Russian attack up center supported by .50 and AFV and use smoke: but a lot has to go right for the Russians. I took his advise of a defense up front to try and stuff the Russian center rush. The Romanians put trenches on the hill, two MMG's, three squads, 8-1, wire covering front of hill and on the road to the left of hill, but the whole Romanian right consisted of 1.5 squads, a few dummies, and one wire. And, my opponent went all in on the weak Romanian right

The Romanian MMG's on the hill took a great toll on the attacking Russians, even a long range, and really slowed down his advance. He got great smoke but that slowed his own advance at times and the MMG's were hot. There were no Russians in the level one building and no .50, so the Romanians were able to quickly shift forces and move around the hill top `with impunity. However, the Romanian right quickly collapsed. He pushed pretty hard there and got the three buildings in that area easily but it is a long way around and they had to be garrisoned against Romanian reinforcements

Russians pushed hard into the tight spot just to the right (Romanian) of the hill. The Romanians were able to get guys into the buildings behind the hill and stop the Russians after they got just two more buildings. He got a bit cavalier with his AFV: Russians lost two to PF, one to Bog/Mire, and couple more to Romanian AFV reinforcements. The Russians got five buildings but toward the end the Russians in the advanced two buildings (like FrF 1 U5 area?) were pretty thin so the Romanian infantry reinforcements were preparing to take them back when the Russians conceded

The Death To Fascism pack is great and I really love the various Fog of War aspects. I would play this scenario again as either side but I think it is tough row-to-hoe for the Russians
 

buser333

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DTF-4 Death To Fascism got at least three playings at Albany. Michael and Paul have AAR's here. It is an interesting scenario with some tough choices for both sides; from the awesome new Death To Fascism Pack. I would be interested in more discussion of this scenario and hearing from some Russian wins. The following is my two cents:

Don bid Russians and so I defended with the Romanians. Both sides have some tough decisions. The Russians all tried something different, in each playing, but all came up short. Michael did the human wave from the Russian right v. Ron D., Mike H. went up straight up the middle v. Paul, and Don went in on the Russian left in our game.

Don did not take the .50 and went all in on the attack from the Russian left

The Romanians feared most the human wave from the Russian right so they put two squads, LMG, 7-0 and the gun in the woods covering the open ground and MTR w/ a 1/2 squad behind to blast the wood line if the Russians broke through there. I would like to hear more from Michael on how his HW unfolded. I agree with Paul's assessment: Russian attack up center supported by .50 and AFV and use smoke: but a lot has to go right for the Russians. I took his advise of a defense up front to try and stuff the Russian center rush. The Romanians put trenches on the hill, two MMG's, three squads, 8-1, wire covering front of hill and on the road to the left of hill, but the whole Romanian right consisted of 1.5 squads, a few dummies, and one wire. And, my opponent went all in on the weak Romanian right

The Romanian MMG's on the hill took a great toll on the attacking Russians, even a long range, and really slowed down his advance. He got great smoke but that slowed his own advance at times and the MMG's were hot. There were no Russians in the level one building and no .50, so the Romanians were able to quickly shift forces and move around the hill top `with impunity. However, the Romanian right quickly collapsed. He pushed pretty hard there and got the three buildings in that area easily but it is a long way around and they had to be garrisoned against Romanian reinforcements

Russians pushed hard into the tight spot just to the right (Romanian) of the hill. The Romanians were able to get guys into the buildings behind the hill and stop the Russians after they got just two more buildings. He got a bit cavalier with his AFV: Russians lost two to PF, one to Bog/Mire, and couple more to Romanian AFV reinforcements. The Russians got five buildings but toward the end the Russians in the advanced two buildings (like FrF 1 U5 area?) were pretty thin so the Romanian infantry reinforcements were preparing to take them back when the Russians conceded

The Death To Fascism pack is great and I really love the various Fog of War aspects. I would play this scenario again as either side but I think it is tough row-to-hoe for the Russians
I won as the Russians and personally thought the 80mm mortar was a no-brainer. I know other opinions differ. This was a great scenario. I cannot speak highly enough about this pack.
 

Ganjulama

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I lost as the Russian against Hennie and ASLOK but I probably should have won. It came down to his last Advancing Fire Shot on a 4 +2 on his counter attack on the last building. He rolled a '3' and I broke. He charge me and I shot him on the 8 -2, rolled a '10', cowered, and did not FPF because even if we eliminated each other in CC the building would have remained mine.

Neither of us lost any tanks. I attacked straight up the middle with 2 squads as extreme flankers. I bought an MMG and put it in the level one building leader directed and it really paid dividends shooting the Romanian on level 1 hill. If I played it again I would buy the .50cal and do the same thing. The other SWs I bought did not make a difference so you might as well get Ma Duce.

It was the tightest, most exciting game I played at ASLOK.
 

MajorDomo

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I won at Albany as the Russians.

Took the .50cal, which broke the 60mm mtr in a hill trench. A Valentine smashed into the right woods trench MMG firelane, ending the firelane and the Valentine's existence.

However, this allowed my right of center mob to CX to the left of the hill and eventually into the middle of the VC buildings. The rest was an extended accumulation of VC buildings. The Stugs needed to gain VP and attacked, two "3" THs by me ended the game early.

Rich
 

asloser

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I won at Albany as the Russians.

Took the .50cal, which broke the 60mm mtr in a hill trench. A Valentine smashed into the right woods trench MMG firelane, ending the firelane and the Valentine's existence.

However, this allowed my right of center mob to CX to the left of the hill and eventually into the middle of the VC buildings. The rest was an extended accumulation of VC buildings. The Stugs needed to gain VP and attacked, two "3" THs by me ended the game early.

Rich
i played this at ASLOK as the Russian and had a similar experience. Won vs. Nadir Elfarra. My advice for the Russian is to purchase the .50 cal and lots of ROF. That will help you over the open to the village in good enough time to take the needed buildings.
 

asloser

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Do those who have bought the .50 cal use a leader to direct it? My feeling playing this was I didn't want to give up one of the at start leaders for that role and weaken the attack, so I went with the 82mm mortar.
I had a leader with it. After I ran out of targets to fire moved the .50 cal into position to fire into the village behind the mid hedge and the leader was naturally useful for that task.
 

Khill

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Do those who have bought the .50 cal use a leader to direct it? My feeling playing this was I didn't want to give up one of the at start leaders for that role and weaken the attack, so I went with the 82mm mortar.

Great responses. So many option for both sides. Cool scenario. I am looking forward to playing this one again, but as the Russians. I was thinking .50 w/-1 leader in the level one building. but there are good arguments for taking 80 MTR. How'd 80 MTR perform for you, (& Buser333)?
 
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buser333

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Great responses. So many option for both sides. Cool scenario. I am looking forward to playing this one again, but as the Russians. I was thinking .50 w/-1 leader in the level one building. but there are good arguments for taking 80 MTR. How'd 80 MTR perform for you, (& Buser333)?
Let me start by saying I attacked from the east. The main reason I bought the 80 MTR was for smoke. This is of course a risky prospect, and I only received one round, but I figured if I had little or no smoke it would also be good to dissuade any Romanians from making a stand in the trees in front of me. I set it up on the road with a leader for easier handling, but it still was a bit of a pain to push into its next threatening position once my units starting moving through town. So the main question it poses is how many lives (and how much time) did it save on my initial approach? That is a difficult answer as so much is theoretical. In retrospect looking at the board, it may not have been bad to place the 0.50 cal on the 1st level of O4 to sweep the hill and any Romanians on 1st levels of any buildings. But my mortar could cover the edges of the hill too without moving, and those are really the only defensive positions I cared about. So would I buy the mortar again? Probably. I could've received more smoke, I could've received less. Either way I think I'd take that chance for a safer approach.
 

Richard Weiley

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I put the mortar next to the two story house with a 447 spotter on the first level. I got some smoke down to cover my first turn human wave (which I sent in on my left flank). I also ran out of smoke fairly quickly so used spotted fire to clear defenders off the hill which I recall was pretty effective. My attack on the village went very well so later in the game I used it to harass some defenders in the woods mass on the right flank.

I had intended to use the spotter to help portage the mortar forward to a better firing position (and perhaps surprise my opponent with the free shot you get after reassembly as per the ordnance notes) but it wasn't needed.
 

buser333

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I put the mortar next to the two story house with a 447 spotter on the first level. I got some smoke down to cover my first turn human wave (which I sent in on my left flank). I also ran out of smoke fairly quickly so used spotted fire to clear defenders off the hill which I recall was pretty effective. My attack on the village went very well so later in the game I used it to harass some defenders in the woods mass on the right flank.

I had intended to use the spotter to help portage the mortar forward to a better firing position (and perhaps surprise my opponent with the free shot you get after reassembly as per the ordnance notes) but it wasn't needed.
Sneaky and very interesting. I never knew that about shooting before/after dm as I am often lazy about reading ordnance notes when it comes to mortars. As my mom so often taught me, there is something to be learned from everyone.
 

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I put the mortar next to the two story house with a 447 spotter on the first level. I got some smoke down to cover my first turn human wave (which I sent in on my left flank). I also ran out of smoke fairly quickly so used spotted fire to clear defenders off the hill which I recall was pretty effective. My attack on the village went very well so later in the game I used it to harass some defenders in the woods mass on the right flank.

I had intended to use the spotter to help portage the mortar forward to a better firing position (and perhaps surprise my opponent with the free shot you get after reassembly as per the ordnance notes) but it wasn't needed.

style points! but how was ROF? my Romanian setup was week on the right, (Russian left) too. the Romanians are pretty thin and can't be everywhere. there are a lot of VC buildings to defend against a fair heap o'Russians. Axis don't know where it is coming from but either way some Romanians are gonna get pounded. my first NMC produced a HOB: surrender. it is tough being Romanian sometimes
 

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If you suspect your opponent might like the .50 Cal at level one, there are excellent defensive setups against this......nothing on the hill.....trenches in the village.....and a hip HS at a nice spot to knock off the .50 cal gang when they run forward to join their comrades.....
 

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I love the pregame mindgames this scenario generates - the possibility of a Russian .50 upstairs definitely shapes the Romanian setup, and the Russian can use that to his advantage - don't buy it, let the Romanian assume you did, and build for an attack against a defense that isn't keyed on the hill.
 

Matt Book

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I love the pregame mindgames this scenario generates - the possibility of a Russian .50 upstairs definitely shapes the Romanian setup, and the Russian can use that to his advantage - don't buy it, let the Romanian assume you did, and build for an attack against a defense that isn't keyed on the hill.
True, I think people look more at how the .50 figures in, but not what the 82mm mortar can do as well for pregame consideration.
 

Jacometti

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You will notice that we have included the 80+ mm MTR option in most DTF scenarios where they are useful and size permits it. It really widens the range of options and allows players to select their own way of solving the problem. Also allows smoke placement for nationalities which otherwise lack this option....
 

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Won this one as the Russians vs. Magnus and was one of the top five games for me, in terms of excitement and fun, of the year for me!

Purchased the 50 cal and put it on the first floor with the 9-1 leader where the most important thing it did was inhibit movement of Magnus's forces. My attack had two legs, one got into the 16L6 area with on board forces and riders on the Valentines. On the edge of the board, another half of my forces were tucked into the 16 B7 area with the T34's and their riders (knocked off the tanks by mmg fire and the sniper (who would harass a 527 the entire game).

The 50 would neutralize the MMG and Turn 2 saw a HW go from 16C8 into 16H1, there may have been a 2nd HW fro L6 into trenchworks in the L10 area. Either way, most of my forces got there intact. With the attack centered on the one side only, about half of the Romanian OB had to try to relocate.

Turn 4 would see the next round of HW's, the first HW (red) crested over the hill and into the village with some losses, but arrived safely, the valentine at the bottom of the board freeze sleezed the a squad/lmg in I8 freeing a 2nd HW (white) to crash into the buildings from the west.

DTF.PNG

Since this was T4, Magnus brought on his vehicles and malf'd the MA on one trying to get an aq. This ended up drawing 3 more vehicles into the swirl ending in the destruction of the AG force and ending the game (6 buildings, 2 Stugs, no AFV losses).

If the game would have continued, a final HW would have charged a unit in P9 to get another building.

In the end, the 50 Cal, inhibited repositioning of squads from the East to the West, ko'd the MMG and perhaps another squad before Malfing around the end of T2, a 6 on the ensuing repair attempt allowed the 91-447 to Cx L10 to join the rest of the attack. It was pointed out to me (by Peter) that there is a location for the Russian mtr to set up and be >16 hexes from the 50.
 

Jacometti

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It was pointed out to me (by Peter) that there is a location for the Russian mtr to set up and be >16 hexes from the 50.
That would be hex 17z W10....put a Trench there and a Russian or French-built mortar can duel with the Level 1 location on fairly equal terms. It is also not a lousy MTR position to cover the eastern part of the village anyway.

I think the 60* MTR trades even shots, since the Russian must halve his FP twice due to long range and fire beyond 16 hexes, so a .50 Cal directed by the 9-1 dishes out 2 + 1 shots .... getting 4 + 2 hits in return......If the Russians do not commit a leader or he gets broken, they may not fire back at all.

If the .50 cal does not quickly knock out the HS manning that MTR, I think the odds may be slightly in favor of the Romanian (9 To Hit with -2 Acq and possibility of Crits).
 

Jacometti

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I love the pregame mindgames this scenario generates - the possibility of a Russian .50 upstairs definitely shapes the Romanian setup, and the Russian can use that to his advantage - don't buy it, let the Romanian assume you did, and build for an attack against a defense that isn't keyed on the hill.
In general, any upfront defense simply does not work for the Romanians. It is too easy to get caught trying to relocate....and with few leaders and lots of Russian tanks around to keep you DM, your infantry may just melt away.

How you defend in depth and width is the complex puzzle for the Romanians.....and it is a headache to find a place for the 76L ART piece, which gives really good odds to bag a Valentine.
 

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Sven came by for some Christmas Eve ASL action. He agreed to play DTF4 as defending Romanians. I took the .50 and it did not do much for me at all. Might have broke a couple squads on the hill. Never got rate. He put SAN right next to it. I broke the .50. Soon thereafter SAN got -1 leader and the squad failed LLMC

Russians were super aggressive up the middle with couple off to the left. We traded an AFV each but in the end I only got 6 buildings: my Russians came up one building short of victory. Uncle Joe was not pleased

Super fun, tense, desperate fight for both sides. I would play it gain as either side. Plenty of replay value. But, I still think it is tough on the Russians
 
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