AAR - Black Day In Hatten - HF1

Major Issues

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Location
Secane, PA
First name
Vince
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llUnited States
Rockford wanted to get together to play Green Day in Hatten.

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I agreed, even though I already had plans to spend the evening doing covert surveillance on the cute coed next door.

I had the Germans. I did not want to set up up front, due to his mortar smoke and the early game LV hindrance. Most of my forces were in the center, with a couple squads and the INF gun with the back two victory buildings. I did use some dummies to make a dummy INF gun to maybe scare him.


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Fear of fear itself kept him from being too aggressive in the beginning, especially with the TDs. My left flank quickly crumbled, possibly due to my defending it with only dummy counters. It looked like a hard area to hold, and had no victory buildings. However, it does have the church steeple, and some other hexes to cut off the retreat of troops in the center. He quickly took advantage, and, using guile and subterfuge, was able to get a MMG up into the steeple.

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My center and right flank were okay, but I really couldn’t hurt him. Even though most of his squads have 6 morale, I couldn’t form big firegroups, and I kept just missing getting results due to the +3 TEM he was in. I did manage to stun a TD.

I had an opportunity to nail a pinned squad in CC, so I went after him. I normally try to avoid CC against Americans. But I needed a break. I didn’t get one, and we ended up in Melee.

American turn, and he unleashes hell on the Melee hex, breaking and reducing his squad. I certainly hope that Rockford reported himself to the War Crimes commission after the battle. He reinforces, and the Melee continues.

My turn, and I throw in the 9-1 and another squad. I finally win the Melee. But I pay for it by getting pounded by his 9-1 and a TD the next PF.

Too late, I realize that my reinforcements have to face hot death from the church steeple. And those monks had seemed like such nice people. I get pretty much everyone across with luck and by giving him multiple targets.

My left is crumbling, and he is threatening the back left victory building. In the center, my attempt to place the DC is stymied by a failed pin check. Next turn, out of spite, I throw it at him and break his guys anyway.

Bottom of turn 4, I am in bad shape. I have just the 8-1 and a 548 in the center. He has crossed the road on the left, and has knocked out most of my troops there. I am defending the victory building with a 237. My 8-1 and 548 break both the squads with his adjacent 9-1, but the 9-1 himself passes. A TD hit breaks my guys, and, because the 9-1 is still in Good Order, they die for failure to rout. I concede.

VC call for the Americans to control 7 building hexes, or 6 if they still have a M18. I think it would be very difficult to take out all of the M18s unless the American player is foolish with them. It doesn’t help that the INF gun cannot use HIP, and has limited HEAT. I did stun two, but he kept them back, so I never got a PSK shot, and only made one PF attempt. So basically the Germans have to figure on holding two buildings to win.

A better plan on my part may have been to give up the center completely and just try to defend the back two buildings. The center becomes a death trap if the Germans break because they can’t rout without being interdicted. But could I hold the back while he blasts from across the street for 4 turns???

Still not sure if it would be a good plan to try to hold the church for a while. Sure, I may hold it long enough to allow the nuns to finish their weekly bingo game, but it looks like a deathtrap.

Pic from the end of the game below. Americans still have 1 turn.


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