AAR Arnhem Campaign, 91 Annual

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91 Annual Arnhem Campaign AAR

Just finished my month of June FTF time with Tony Sella.
We played thru this campaign, and had a ball….
Here’s a brief summary of the campaign with highlights…

ZON WITH THE WIND
I was the Germans by dice roll, so, I did what I thought was clever and placed the 88s in myOB on the exit hexes (3 exit hexes, 2 88s)…What with the trenches and 8-1smc and 467 w/lmg, I thought I had the exit covered, and hoped to see the game to turn 6 or even 7…..
Instead, my 88s couldn’t get ROF and couldn’t roll below a 8…not a receipe for success.
Then his 9-2 and two squads set up a base of fire and broke the rabble that was my force…
He won the game in 5 turns…..
Allies +1cvp

TETTAUS ATTACK
The first blowout I achieved….really, the curse of a small scenario is it can often turn on just one DR and that’s what happened. His MMG squad with a 9-2 took a 1MC after I rolled a 3 on the four table.
SMC PINS. Squad rolls 11—break. I then scurry off the map with VPs in 7 turns, easily getting –2cvp from him. Tony said that if he could have done it differently, he would have had a HS in the first level of 17Q4, to help cover the exit area…..the curse for the Brits in this scenario is that they just don’t have enough troops….
Axis –1cvp

LASH OUT
Enjoyable attack for the germans…..and I muffed it by going to slow and placing too many squads in the wood bldg around 16R4…I wanted units at 1st level to cap US paras that didn’t want me to exit.
The tank was a non entity, in that in its 3rd shot, if MALFed its MA, then he rolled a 6 trying to fix it, ergo recalling the tank.
I ‘won’ the game in 8 turns, giving him a +1cvp
Score TIE

GUARDS ATTACK
Well, this was an embarrassment for me the axis. If I could do it over again, ALL my troops would have been set up in the victory area/within 3 hexes of same. ALSO, I learned roadblocks MUST be set up on roads (I wasted one by setting it up by the pond on board 17)…As is, I had these cute shots with the 10-3, 467, and LMG that winged a few brits on board 13….then he bummed rushed down the road, laughed off my 50L which did NOT get ROF and then rolled a 12 on an intensive fire shot and Tony then grabbed the victory area in 5 turns…..
Entertaining dice in this scenario. BAILOUT MC for a 248hs. SNAKES. Unit goes bezerk and charges my 10-3/467, that is 14 hexes away. Next BAILOUT MC. 248hs. SNAKES. Unit becomes fanatic as a result of DR.
In the process, the 10-3 was wounded, my troops couldn’t hit shit for shinola, and Tony picked up 2cvp
Allies +2cvp

OY VEGHEL
The most enjoyable defeat that I’ve had in a long time. ROAR puts this scenario at 10 Allied, 36German, so I was confident that I would pick up a point or two.
Tony moved his 57L atg into 10U6 by turn 2, and all other troops in the victory area…then waited for me.
I set up my troops so that I had a HD PzKwIV in the village square, the STUG to the immediate rear so that it had LOS to 10U6 and the other PzKwIV on board 19. Tony then rolled a CH vs. the HD PzIV, I smoked his hex with the STUG, and moved the other PzIV to have LOS but out of arc of the 57L….
The 9-2 with three 467s, each with a LMG, were setting up a death star base of fire….ah, but I didn’t count on the BAZ CH that he then rolled vs. the stack. One squad ate the CH, everyone else broke on the subsequent MC2s that occurred.
I then moved the STUG so that it had LOS to 10U6 and was out of arc of the 57L, and rolled a CH…..Wow, lots of snakes in this game.
All US troops broke, and routed upstairs, where the 10-2 promptly rallied himself and all others with him.
I then tried taking out these US troops in CC, covering my approach with smoke, firing like a banshee to break or pin the US paras in 10U6 ground level. The 10-2 led the CC vs. my germans and zapped me.
Then 10-2 and a squad advanced over to regain control of 10U5, where I broke, them, they routed upstairs and….I forced their surrender in a subsequent turn (boy, I’m sure that SMC was a peach to have in the POW cage….)
By now, I’m running out of time. I had a choice of bum rushing him on turn 7 to hope to get the +1cvp or be more patient and win it on turn 8. I choose door number 2, and and though I broke the remaining US troops in the 10U5/U6 bld, he then spited me and not only self rallied a HS, but leader created as well (a 7-0). This was sufficient to give him a victory in 8 turns. We then played turn 9, and I’won’ it, thus losing only 1cvp.
Allies +3cvp

I will also note, that at this point, Tony has won 4 of 5 games.
And yet I continued, and for good reason…

DREIL TEAM
Tony can claim a moral victory in this one b/c my Panther was gacked.
That’s about the only thing that went right for him. The curse of the Brits in this scenario is that they have only 4 crossing points, two bridges and two fords and need to average 2.5 hexes per turn to exit 8vps by turn 9 or earlier. Add to this mix him losing smoke turn 1 with the 51mm MTR, and my not being able to roll above a 5 with my INF on 5 key shots over two different fire phases, and by turn 7, Tony was down to 4 GO squads and all his SMCs either KIA, WIA or broken. He conceded, giving me +2cvp.
Tony said in our AAR after the scenario, that if he could have done it over, the 9-2 would have set up a base of fire directing MMG shots, instead of being worried about making 3 hexes of movement per turn.
(There’s an endless debate for us ASLers out there ie the great fire vs. movement one, and when to do what….but I digress)
For the Germans, I thought setting up troops (2squads) in the 22G4 bldg, on the 2nd level was crucial to delaying his advance. That, and having a 9-1, 468 w/lmg in 22I6 (which has LOS to 22J0 and obviously also the road running down the I row), well the combination of all that with good dice was the key to my success in this scenario.
Score Allies +1cvp.

NORTH BANK
His SAN 6. My SAN 4. He gets 5 SANs, does NADA….I get 3 SANs. KIA—10-3 dies b/c of that one on game turn 1, player turn 1.
PIN-holds down his Sniper.
It only gets better for me the German. He takes a variety of MCs, MC1s, and MC2s, and can’t roll anything other 8s or 11s. He rallied his troops everytime, but it doesn’t matter, b/c I skank him for a victory on turn 5, when with everyone broke, I move a King Tiger to one victory hex, a HS to the next, and a Squad to the last victory hex.
Tony regretted not setting up one squad in one of the VC hexes, and then not trying to entrench them on turn 1. I also think SOME Brits need to set up on board 21 to harass the German advance onto the map.

End result.
-1cvp total. GERMANS WIN CAMPAIGN.
Ok, so I just fall short of the historical result. Still, it was satisfying to me to lose 4/7 and still win the campagin.
 

Chas Argent

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This is great! I always wanted play these scenarios like this. Certainly sounds like a near-run affair and exciting.
 

Chris Milne

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Chas Argent said:
Jeez, Ron you must have been buckin' for 9-2!!
Either that or someone slipped him some E. Still not caught up with Pitman, though :)

Slightly more on topic: good AAR. I suspect that I'm in the majority when I say that I'd have liked to play these in the campaign style they were intended, so it's nice to see that they have been! It's also made me think that perhaps this would be a good selection to introduce to my newish ftf partner.
 

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Mark ,

Are you Belgian?
I'm Belgian and know someone with the same name.

Could it be you?

Mark De Vries said:
91 Annual Arnhem Campaign AAR

Just finished my month of June FTF time with Tony Sella.
We played thru this campaign, and had a ball….
Here’s a brief summary of the campaign with highlights…

ZON WITH THE WIND
I was the Germans by dice roll, so, I did what I thought was clever and placed the 88s in myOB on the exit hexes (3 exit hexes, 2 88s)…What with the trenches and 8-1smc and 467 w/lmg, I thought I had the exit covered, and hoped to see the game to turn 6 or even 7…..
Instead, my 88s couldn’t get ROF and couldn’t roll below a 8…not a receipe for success.
Then his 9-2 and two squads set up a base of fire and broke the rabble that was my force…
He won the game in 5 turns…..
Allies +1cvp

TETTAUS ATTACK
The first blowout I achieved….really, the curse of a small scenario is it can often turn on just one DR and that’s what happened. His MMG squad with a 9-2 took a 1MC after I rolled a 3 on the four table.
SMC PINS. Squad rolls 11—break. I then scurry off the map with VPs in 7 turns, easily getting –2cvp from him. Tony said that if he could have done it differently, he would have had a HS in the first level of 17Q4, to help cover the exit area…..the curse for the Brits in this scenario is that they just don’t have enough troops….
Axis –1cvp

LASH OUT
Enjoyable attack for the germans…..and I muffed it by going to slow and placing too many squads in the wood bldg around 16R4…I wanted units at 1st level to cap US paras that didn’t want me to exit.
The tank was a non entity, in that in its 3rd shot, if MALFed its MA, then he rolled a 6 trying to fix it, ergo recalling the tank.
I ‘won’ the game in 8 turns, giving him a +1cvp
Score TIE

GUARDS ATTACK
Well, this was an embarrassment for me the axis. If I could do it over again, ALL my troops would have been set up in the victory area/within 3 hexes of same. ALSO, I learned roadblocks MUST be set up on roads (I wasted one by setting it up by the pond on board 17)…As is, I had these cute shots with the 10-3, 467, and LMG that winged a few brits on board 13….then he bummed rushed down the road, laughed off my 50L which did NOT get ROF and then rolled a 12 on an intensive fire shot and Tony then grabbed the victory area in 5 turns…..
Entertaining dice in this scenario. BAILOUT MC for a 248hs. SNAKES. Unit goes bezerk and charges my 10-3/467, that is 14 hexes away. Next BAILOUT MC. 248hs. SNAKES. Unit becomes fanatic as a result of DR.
In the process, the 10-3 was wounded, my troops couldn’t hit shit for shinola, and Tony picked up 2cvp
Allies +2cvp

OY VEGHEL
The most enjoyable defeat that I’ve had in a long time. ROAR puts this scenario at 10 Allied, 36German, so I was confident that I would pick up a point or two.
Tony moved his 57L atg into 10U6 by turn 2, and all other troops in the victory area…then waited for me.
I set up my troops so that I had a HD PzKwIV in the village square, the STUG to the immediate rear so that it had LOS to 10U6 and the other PzKwIV on board 19. Tony then rolled a CH vs. the HD PzIV, I smoked his hex with the STUG, and moved the other PzIV to have LOS but out of arc of the 57L….
The 9-2 with three 467s, each with a LMG, were setting up a death star base of fire….ah, but I didn’t count on the BAZ CH that he then rolled vs. the stack. One squad ate the CH, everyone else broke on the subsequent MC2s that occurred.
I then moved the STUG so that it had LOS to 10U6 and was out of arc of the 57L, and rolled a CH…..Wow, lots of snakes in this game.
All US troops broke, and routed upstairs, where the 10-2 promptly rallied himself and all others with him.
I then tried taking out these US troops in CC, covering my approach with smoke, firing like a banshee to break or pin the US paras in 10U6 ground level. The 10-2 led the CC vs. my germans and zapped me.
Then 10-2 and a squad advanced over to regain control of 10U5, where I broke, them, they routed upstairs and….I forced their surrender in a subsequent turn (boy, I’m sure that SMC was a peach to have in the POW cage….)
By now, I’m running out of time. I had a choice of bum rushing him on turn 7 to hope to get the +1cvp or be more patient and win it on turn 8. I choose door number 2, and and though I broke the remaining US troops in the 10U5/U6 bld, he then spited me and not only self rallied a HS, but leader created as well (a 7-0). This was sufficient to give him a victory in 8 turns. We then played turn 9, and I’won’ it, thus losing only 1cvp.
Allies +3cvp

I will also note, that at this point, Tony has won 4 of 5 games.
And yet I continued, and for good reason…

DREIL TEAM
Tony can claim a moral victory in this one b/c my Panther was gacked.
That’s about the only thing that went right for him. The curse of the Brits in this scenario is that they have only 4 crossing points, two bridges and two fords and need to average 2.5 hexes per turn to exit 8vps by turn 9 or earlier. Add to this mix him losing smoke turn 1 with the 51mm MTR, and my not being able to roll above a 5 with my INF on 5 key shots over two different fire phases, and by turn 7, Tony was down to 4 GO squads and all his SMCs either KIA, WIA or broken. He conceded, giving me +2cvp.
Tony said in our AAR after the scenario, that if he could have done it over, the 9-2 would have set up a base of fire directing MMG shots, instead of being worried about making 3 hexes of movement per turn.
(There’s an endless debate for us ASLers out there ie the great fire vs. movement one, and when to do what….but I digress)
For the Germans, I thought setting up troops (2squads) in the 22G4 bldg, on the 2nd level was crucial to delaying his advance. That, and having a 9-1, 468 w/lmg in 22I6 (which has LOS to 22J0 and obviously also the road running down the I row), well the combination of all that with good dice was the key to my success in this scenario.
Score Allies +1cvp.

NORTH BANK
His SAN 6. My SAN 4. He gets 5 SANs, does NADA….I get 3 SANs. KIA—10-3 dies b/c of that one on game turn 1, player turn 1.
PIN-holds down his Sniper.
It only gets better for me the German. He takes a variety of MCs, MC1s, and MC2s, and can’t roll anything other 8s or 11s. He rallied his troops everytime, but it doesn’t matter, b/c I skank him for a victory on turn 5, when with everyone broke, I move a King Tiger to one victory hex, a HS to the next, and a Squad to the last victory hex.
Tony regretted not setting up one squad in one of the VC hexes, and then not trying to entrench them on turn 1. I also think SOME Brits need to set up on board 21 to harass the German advance onto the map.

End result.
-1cvp total. GERMANS WIN CAMPAIGN.
Ok, so I just fall short of the historical result. Still, it was satisfying to me to lose 4/7 and still win the campagin.
 
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