Major Issues
Elder Member
I have been busy searching for a new career, but I took some time off to play Walt Harrar. I have picked up a few job hunting tips that I thought I would share to keep you from making the same mistakes as me:
Don’t make frequent references to ‘Silence of the Lambs’ during your interview.
Don’t list your bookie as a reference, even after you dropped a pile on the NBA finals.
Under ‘Career Goals’, don’t write ‘To be mistaken for Gary Fortenberry’.
Under ‘Achievement You Are Most Proud Of’, don’t write ‘Company Picnic Shuffleboard Champ 1997’.
Under ‘Latest Meaningful Achievement’, don’t write ‘Translated Chapter E into Latin’.
If asked, ‘Why do you want to work for us?’, don’t say, ‘Because MMP won’t hire me’.
Walt wanted to play a June 6 scenario. I chose All Along The Murder-it. Walt chose the American paratroopers. I was the Germans.
Rommel's Asparagus
Lots of interesting German choices before the game starts. There are two potential VCs – clear the paratroopers from the edge of town, or cross the causeway across the marsh. The two are far apart, and it’s a 5 turn game, so units committed to one VC aren’t going to be able to switch horses in mid-marsh, so to speak. Capturing victory hexes on the edge of town can reduce the number of troops needed to cross the causeway. The Americans can also win by controlling the German end of the causeway.
The Germans get to choose from several different OB groups – 3 MMC, 3 SMC, 2 AFV, and 3 SW groups. But there aren’t enough points to get everything you want. Life as a German staff officer in 1944 is a continual series of disappointments.
Taking out 10 paratrooper squads with a 9-2 seemed like a tall order, so I decided to send my army to near-certain death across the causeway. I purchased the most available infantry, the second best SMCs, two AFVs, and no SWs. I figured that since the causeway VCs just involved getting bodies across, I should start with a lot of bodies. One AFV is given in the OB, so with the purchase, I now had three. My imaginative plan was to have the American AT gun turn them into wrecks on the causeway to provide cover. Preferably flaming wrecks. This bold plan was not shared with the AFV crewmen.
If the Americans want, they can HIP two HSs with bazookas in the marsh. This has drawbacks – firing a LATW out of marsh adds +2 to the TH roll. Small, Motion, and HA can make this a grim shot.
I had a screen of 447s to try to keep the paratroopers in town from making a break for the causeway. They also forced these paratroopers from trying to break out with everybody, which would allow me to sneak in to take a VC hex or two. The rest of the Germans set up at the end of the causeway, or on the southern edge of board 54 to make a break for the causeway. I think I had 20 squads and 3 tanks going for the causeway.
I started out armored assaulting two tanks with two squads across the Becauseway. One squad pinned, the other broke. Other squads move down the causeway, avoiding the residual hexes. Advancing fire breaks a 747 and a Bazooka HS in a brush hex. More Band of Mothers than Band of Brothers.
In town, squads rush forward to get into positions to block the paratroopers. Had Walt planned for it, he could have put troops on the east edge of board p to run down the edge toward the causeway before my troops could block him. But these paratroopers were set up in a defensive mode – Fort Apache with bocage. Partly this was done because Walt had to set up first, before he knew which way my main thrust was going to be. And partly because Walt thought that it would be too easy for me to block these troops from behind bocage, especially with only 5 turns.
A1, one tank is destroyed, and another German squad breaks.
G2, another tank is destroyed, and a couple German squads break. But I pass a couple checks from residual fire, and with only a few squads to fire, lots of squads continue to sneak down the causeway. But I am getting more piled up, with lots of stacks of 2-1/2 or 3 squads.
A2, two squads and a 8-1 from Fort Apache break out.
G3, I am able to pin the 8-1 and the MMG squad with him. I get two squads adjacent, and decide that this is the best chance I will have to take out some paratroopers. So I jump them for CC. I roll high and miss. Walt’s pinned troops roll a 3, and wound my heart with a monotonous languor. And wounded the rest of my vital organs, too.
The now-rallied squad and bazooka squad on the far side of the becauseway get broken again in a stone building on a 12+4 shot.
I try to run the PzKwIII, my last tank, past the AT gun to overrun paratroopers behind bocage. But he gets hit and dies.
But my infantry continue to slink forward, and one squad battle hardens to a 468.
A3, a couple more broken German squads, but the lead 468 is still okay.
G4, a leader and squad splash across the Merderet to try to DM the broken guys. But they get shot to pieces.
Other Germans move on to the bridge. Two squads are broken, but the 8-1 and MMG squad FPF, which breaks them. Advance phase, 11 VPs have crossed the stream or moved onto the bridge. Germans win immediately if they get 6 VPs. It should only be a matter of hours before all the Allies are pushed back into the sea!!! Germans celebrate their awesome victory!!!
Walt had a HIP BAZ HS in the marsh, which he intended on using to make a run (or slosh) to the far end of the causeway. But he didn’t get a chance, as I had so many squads strung out along the causeway (or strung out squads along the causeway) that they would have blocked his way.
Walt never laid down a firelane, preferring to take his chances on getting ROF with the MMG. He didn’t use the AT gun to shoot at the infantry until all the tanks were destroyed. B11 and limited HE made him not want to risk it until necessary.
One interesting idea would be to put the gun or the MMG on the hill, where it could shoot over any hindrances.
Walt’s dice were not great, and I passed a bunch of MCs. That, and the number of squads I had available, doomed the paratrooper defense. I only broke 1-1/2 squads – twice – but that still left the causeway defense force down to 3 squads.
Interesting scenario, and deserves a lot more playings than it has. It's even on ROAR.