Reverse Slope Defences

Craig Benn

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A good while ago I played Blood on Hill 192 with Ben Jones. It started well but ended up very frustrating as my OBA red chitted and as soon as I went up to the top of the plateau I got whacked.

I often use 'reverse slope' defences myself. In the sense of setting up out of direct LOS of any potential prep fire. It's a trade off. You protect your assets and you get the first shots. But you might give up lots of open terrain with possible -2 shots.

It works best with plateaued hills rather than summits one hex wide - which gives the attacker height advantage and concealment. It works best against 6 morale troops, because to break the defence some of the attackers have to pass morale checks and the dice bell curve - particularly where you can hit at point blank - means it makes a real difference. Mines on the edge really helps too.

For attackers you obviously want to smoke in where you make a move, and ideally retain concealment. While the defender will want a half squad outpost on a flank somewhere to strip it. Going over the top in the advance phase rather than the movement phase is much better. For 1) Defender Preps at full, then surviving attacker defensive fires at full and preps at full. For 2) Defender defensive fires at full, attacker advance fires at half strength then Defender Preps at full.

Any insights from the old hands for either attacking or defending?
 

jrv

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In a way any scenario where the attacker enters from off board is an implicit reverse slope defense.

JR
 

MajorDomo

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My preference is to have some "non-reverse" presence to slow down the attacker's approach.

Also, reverse defenders can be subject to FTR in the final stages of a scenario, so plan their late stage routs/retreats at setup. Often these defenses involve trenches/foxholes which help in this late stage planning.

Rich
 

ibncalb

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Good question Craig, Happy 50th Birthday btw.

I enjoyed that scenario very much.

I agree with your point re defending a plateau rather than a crest line. The plateau gives defender manoeuvre room rather than just cover from fire.

So benefits to reverse slope;

Cover from initial direct fire​
Ability to redeploy on covered lines.​
Benefit of engaging enemy troops who are moving uphill.​
Good spotting opportunities​
A lot of these benefits can be found on flat maps, whats really different about a RSD? I guess nothing apart from the fact you're at a higher elevation than your opponent.

One could recreate most of these advantages by hiding behind a woods line.

However, when you lose the woods line your opponent has the cover of the woods, so that reveals the real advantage of a RSD, the defender has perfect, one way cover, like an infantry HD position.

When the attacker moves into LOS they gain no cover advantage over you, just LOS to the defender, which of course works both ways.

So its kind of like walking into a surprise party hosted by your wife, who you know, knows you just knobbed her sister. You know that your wife is there, you know there's a dick punch coming your way (possibly more than one), but you can't do a thing to defend against it.

But you still got to walk in through that door.

So, its the dickpunch defence.

How does the attacker overcome this? Well Craig's suggestion of smoke and retain ? is true, in the same way that 'try to roll low' is true.

Craig asks a nebulous question which I answer equally generally.

Try to overwhelm the defender, ideally HW over the crestline, the defender doesn't have enough manpower to whack all the moles.​
Try to summit under a ? counter, this would mean eliminating any hillside ? strippers and ideally summiting through smoke. This is difficult with a normal FFE. A smoke barrage would be much better, however since Craig is so anal about the interpretation of chapters E's 'optional' status that's hard.​
Be familiar with the hillside walls/hedges rules and the chapter B rules on moving to trenches at higher/lower elevations.​
Remember that moving through SMOKE only incurs a MF penalty in the MPH.​
Look for vantage points from the hill you are attacking and make sure they're are covered with all fires possible. If he can see you you can see him.​
Kill the flanks of 'Hill Dickpunch', normally they're the weak spots, they don't have the depth of the main hill mass yet probably hold strong weapon systems to interfere with your attack.​
Look forward to a discussion,



B e n
 

Craig Benn

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Eloquently put as usual cockmonkey.

But you can't HW until you can see a unit even if you have a nationality that can.

As the attacker you can't do the hillside trench thing - it's only if you control at start (I think - NRBH)

If there are vantage points on the Hill you're attacking - he's nothe using a reverse slope defence....

Also I never touched her sister and she looked 17 anyway.
 

semenza

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As the attacker you can't do the hillside trench thing - it's only if you control at start (I think - NRBH)
Either side can move out / down to the lower level.

The side that started with the Trench in OOB can move into / up. And or a side that controls the Trench.


Seth
 

Mister T

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A good proving ground for these alternate defences would be Mageret Morning, though i am not sure they could save the rather desperate US situation.
 
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