Played YASL2 Initial Skirmish at our Twin Cities ASL day with Mark Harms . A small 4.5 turn France ’40 affair with 5 x light panzers and 8 x 467 on motorcycles, ATR, LMG, attacking a village containing 5 x 457, 2 x leaders, LMG, ATR, 37*+crew and two Panhards ACs (w/ 25LLs) on T1. VCs were CVP and 1 point for ever friendly-controlled building in the French set-up area.
The 3 x Pz Is and 2 x Pz IIAs are all 1 AF so they must proceed with caution. The motorcyclists proceeded to move up to the outskirts of the board 70 village and dismount. Over the next couple turns the Germans have no less than 3.5 squads broken, but they all rally back once DM status is gone. The Germans are able to sidle up to two stone buildings one containing a 237 and the 227/37* and enter CC gaining ambush on one and both are eliminated. A huge outcome for the German was a Pz I in that was shocked in T2 then UK, but was able to recover. A swing of five critical VPs.
Mid-game the Germans KO a Panhard, but lose a Pz I. A bold move by the remaining Panhard takes out another Pz I. German down two AFV and French one. The German sees an opportunity on his right flank to do an end around to pick up at least three buildings in the village rear. Using a Pz I, he freezes the 457/LMG allowing the move and survives CC. In the bottom of French T4, the remaining Panhard starts and a 467/ATR/9-1 fires and rolls a 6,5 with the leader modifier making the difference for the hit. TK was an immobilization. The crew fails the ITC and bails out. The same 467 fires and breaks the crew. Due to the positions on the board the rout path would send him to the nether-regions of the village where in the final German half turn it would likely be surrounded by the MMCs that broke into the backfield. At that point the French received orders to abandon the village.
A very tense game that reinforced my love for tin cans: every weapon is a threat and every TK roll is a white-knuckler. I think the French has every opportunity to win this, but must have good success at taking out German AFV – and preserving his own – and knowing where to focus the defense. I think the French balance is in order -- an LMG -- OR perhaps another HS and a few more dummies. The German must move carefully and be thoughtful with his AFV. At five CVP per "can", early AFV losses will require more (necessary) caution with the remaining AFV. Regardless of the outcome the scenario definitely gives a feel for the desperation of the French village defenders of 1940 who had to do so much against a determined attacker. Thumbs up! A huge thanks to Mark for another tense, razor's edge game.
Great scenario! Played it twice a couple of years ago.
Here are my short AARs:
First Playing vs. Sebastian Hummel:
Set in 1940, the Germans need to inflict more CVP than the French while each captured buildings also earn VP. The Germans have a quick force of some early PzII's and PzI's that are supported by Kradschützen on Motorcycles and Sidecars. The terrain arcoss which they have to approach gives some cover by grain and brush but there are not many places of Rally terrain. The French only have modest AT capabilites consisting of an LMG, an ATR, and a not to be underestimated 37* SW INF Gun. As best the German AFV have to offer is an AF of 1, they cannot be careless because losing tanks ist costly. The French on top will receive two radioless AMD 35 Armored Cars with one 8-1AL which are quite potent in the given context. As a special balance, the French were given a 6th 4-5-7 Squad.
I played the French in this one in a friendly game as a preparation for a mini tournament the following day. All in all the resume is that I diced the living hell out of my poor opponent. 3's and 4's abound which are, of course, hard to digest in a 4.5 Turn scenario. The result was a French win for me.
Second Playing vs. Bruno Nitrosso:
The first scenario of two of a themed mini tournament of early war Germans vs. the French, this time, I played the attacking Germans. The early moves of my Infantry & Motorcyclists were met with fierce resistance by the French which led to some losses and breaks.
This proved to be the theme of the game: My Germans were always short of infantry. I moved the tanks with caution rather than dash to preserve them as good as I could, especially, since the lack of infantry would not have sufficed to cover armored exploits.
The French ACs moved in from the back and took up a good position centrally in the village. Generally, the French infantry succeeded pretty well falling back in good order in the beginning. While my original plan was to set my Schwerpunkt on the German right side, I turned out to concentrate in the center. From there, I gained the first foothold in the middle outskirts of it.
Because the French ACs were within the village, I was able to shift my tanks to the left in an effort to take out the French flank there and to seperate that part of the village from the rest. Again, there were some setbacks of my infantry which did not appear to manage anything. The tanks firing Point Blank did begin to tell, though. And in the center of the village, I was slowly making some progress. Then the French ACs managed to take out two Germans tanks. At this point, I had not much confidence in bringing this home. But at long last, on the German left, the French infantry was cleared and Landsers grinding forward from house to house. Meanwhile the French had successfully retreated behind the road within the village.
The 4th German turn brought about the change. I was able to corner two French squads freezing them and afterwards to close in with German Infantry. Both French squads broke and the chivalrous Germans happily accepted the Prisoners as a welcome CVP increase. At long last, a German hero with the ATR succeeded in taking out one of the AC's after something like half a dozen attempts.
During the French turn 4, the French retaliated in eliminating a PzI, but the could not harm the German infantry. The last German half-turn allowed me to grab four more buildings and to extract one PzI by reverse moving out of harm's way. Still, CVP & buildings were in French favor.
In preparation for the last CCPh, I had to dash some German infantry across a road hoping to have some reserves to attempt their PAATCs vs. the surviving French AC. The outcome would hinge on its survival or demise. The German squad broke, the Prisoners were CR'ed which luckily counts still in favor of the Germans. Fortunately, that AC had been shocked before. A 9-1, 467+Prisoners, and a HS+Prisoners (IIRC) all made their PAATCs. They just managed to kill the AC, which also held the French AL. At first we calculated that both the French and the Germans would have 27VP. Then, we remembered, that eliminated own Prisoners by the French still count double for the Germans, turning it into a German win for me by the barest of margins. A hell of a game!
von Marwitz