AAR KRAUT CORNER from HOB BtoB

Markdv5208

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Kraut Corner AAR from the US player

Played said same scenario with Tony Sella Tuesday May 4.
For those of you who do NOT have the BEYOND THE BEACHHEAD module recently put out by the HOB folks, the scenarios involve fighting in the surprise terrain beyond the Normandy beachhead ie BOCAGE. It has variant rules for light bocage (did not play in this scenario.) I have to admit that I was annoyed several times when his German units having wall advantage made themselves CONCEALED in the CC phase after having prep fired at me…..

The scenario itself, for those who don’t own the packet (yet) sees a reasonable US force (twelve 666s, with SWs, SMCs, and two tanks in support—one a dozer tank) against a polyglot force of German fallschrimjager ie 548s and 447s. The Germans have some toys ie HIP OBA observer with a pre registered hex, mines, trench, 135 pillbox, four 1-squad ENTs….
Tony, the defender, placed 2 squads with a MMG and 8-1SMC around the HOBIII L1 hill. It’s only a level one hex BUT it’s got a nasty surprise to it—it has a slope on one spine ergo it’s just enough above SOME of the bocage (b/c bocage is a funky level one obstacle) such that it has some weird LOS around the map.
The rest of his troops he placed around O7 with the wire in G5, and the trench with a 548 in H6…..
My troops I divided as follows.
3.5 squads as reinforcements per SSR
3.5 squads around the B7 woods
5 squads around the C5 orchard.

One tank on each side of the road with the INF. I HATE ATMines so there was no way I was going to use the road if possible…turns out he hadn’t taken any….

Turns 1 and 2. The Germans stayed put whilst I moved up…DFFph turn 2, I had assaulted some units into the H6 bldg…..they were concealed, but alas, it was a pre registered hex….draws a black, drops the SR, announces it’s pre registered but b/c I’m concealed, he’s got to draw a 2nd card…and draws a RED…I also hate ARTY, except when I get itâ€¦ïŠ Then he loses contact on the next roll with an on command 11…whew………
Turn 1 sees me rolling my other tank to a HD position in I8. I spot his bunker in 07 and start pumping AP rounds into the bunker….2 table shots aren’t ALL bad, esp with a bunker. My 7-0 observer calls in 60mm OBA shots….living for the SNAKES or at least to keep his head down, I discover that in the hexes around O7, he has squads ENTRENCHED and so they eat 4FP shots with +4. Needless to say, SNAKES for a MC (actually, a CH) and 3s for PTCs…didn’t get any but I can say that I got ARTY to work, which felt like a moral victory in and of itself (I could do ARTY in my former military life ie I remember what you’re supposed to say on the radio CALL GRID DIRECTION DISTANCE DESCRIPTION or COUNTRY GIRLS DO DALLLAS DAILY but for some reason, ARTY in ASL is my bane….)

Turn 3. I begin my assault vs. the L1 hillside. The dozer tank is in K4 with a funky LOS b/c of the slope hexside into L1. I roll for SMOKE—NADA. Roll for WP. NADA….ok, fire HE..miss….yeesh….I’ve got my INF scattered around hex K4 and I prep into the L1 hex…NADA…OUCH….
He then calls ARTY down on K4. Where is that bloody observer?
Well, I find out in his prep fire phase that the OBA observer is in K5….and he’s calling ARTY on his own position! Tank laughs off the 80mm OBA shot, but US morale six INF all breaks—5 squads total…..OUCH……..then he reveals his observer, who eats a 2MC and also breaks. I’m impressed with the observer eating the ARTY round…..

He also Gets a squad into K10. He fires vs. my HD Sherman in I8. HD and everything…and he hits….scratch one Sherman

Turn 4. I was frustrated…but fortunately for me, I got my reinforcements this turn. I assaulted them to L0 and K1, with a HS going to Q2. He fired, did NADA, so I fired back, did NADA and went in for CC….and rolled a 12 on command..so he withdrew and PREPS at me with a 548 and LMG (the other squad and SMC had earlier moved away). He rolls a 11 in his prep and then I roll a SNAKES to ZAP the germans……
I start rallying my troops that his OBA had broken up…meanwhiles he had routed the OBA observer to N5. I got the dozer tank to N6, and a HS to N4
Taking no prisoners, the leader died for failure to rout.

Things in fact, got really bad for the Germans at this point.

I’ve got my entire OB with LOS to him. Troops behind the I 8 hedgerow combined with troops around the N6 hedgerow combined with one nasty HS that wouldn’t break started dishing out 8, 12 and 16FP shots to his troops.
He couldn’t pass a MC to save his life…and I in turn with US 6 morale troops laughed off what MCs he could give. He did zap my second tank with a PF shot from the 07 bunker…but that was a mixed blessing, since he rolled a colored 1 on the TH, which in turn, KIAd his last remaining SMC and broke the firing unit……Tony conceded with 4VP of GO units left on map, and no hope of rallying the remaining units

A good scenario. Since this playing, I’ve played it again, this time as the Germans. Second AAR on KRAUT CORNER coming hopefully today…

Mark De Vries
 

sgtono

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Sam,

Some players received their copies at a tourney, but HOB is having the printers do them over due to printing mistakes.

Keith
 

Doug Kirk

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BtB from HOB

Steve D. showed up at The Open in Chicago with BtB. It was unmounted maps only and scenario cards full of errors. Steve handed out a sheet full of OB corrections for the scenarios so those who picked them up could still play the scenarios. So not a complete release yet. It looks good though! I have only played one scenario, BtB2 Merely Hanging On. Very Nice!


Doug
 
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