AAR - Oh, Joy! - RB11

[Major Issues]

This was the first Halloween where people handed out hand sanitizer and rubber gloves to kids instead of Snicker’s and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.

And the kids were glad to get them... Ah, those carefree dayz of youth...

It’s Stalingrad Season, and Gunny and I were able to get together for an afternoon of play. He had picked out a couple choices – I chose Oh, Joy! ‘Cause I am basically a joyful person. As long as I am on my meds.

I wuz the Russians.

This was originally a Journal scenario. I didn’t check to see if it changed when rereleased. My parole officer did not check to see if I had changed when rereleased. But, that’s another story.

Russian counterattack. Two tin cans and an OT-34, all without radios. The OT-34 has limited AP. The Russian infantry force is sketchy, at best. Two elite squads, a couple conscripts, and some Walking Wounded. Offhand, I’d say that about 40% of the Russian force were amputees.

But, they get a lot of leaders, including a 10-3 and a 9-0 Commissar. Would love to hear his inspirational talks. “Lost your leg, didya??? Well, rub some dirt on it and get back out there!!! Let’s win this one for The Gipperovich!!!”

The defending Germans actually have more and better infantry, lots of MGs, a SPW 251/10, 2 StuGs, and a PzKwIII. A couple mines are also in the mix.

VC are to kill Germans and take trenches. But, the Russians need to have 10 more CVPs, so protecting the tin cans and conscripts is now a priority.

LV and a pregame MC on the Germans, modified by terrain like a Bombardment, add to the fun.

Gunny lost a dummy stack and had a squad break and CR in the pregame checks. One useless Prep shot, and my heroic conscripts and dummy stacks sneak forward. The amputees limp forward. The OT-34 charges forward, after Gunny’s 8-1/MMG stack had fired, and set the flamethrower on “Barbecue.” The squad dies, the MMG malfs, the 8-1 is broken. Gunny takes a shot at the side of the tank with a StuG, but the shot is blocked, and he runs out of AP. It’s GOOD to be Russian!

My 426s heroically wipe out several dummy stacks.

The 10-3/ 628 combo charges forward, and ambushes and kills another German squad.

G1, I take a couple ATR and MG shots at the HT, but fail to kill it.

R2, my 8-0 places a satchel charge on the PzKwIII. Other guyz move adjacent to it. A dummy stack finds a minefield in the gully. (Gunny could have asked me to confirm it was a real unit B4 revealing, but asking pretty much tells me what is there, anyway...) The 10-3/ 628 AMs next to a StuG. The OT-34 crashes into rubble and Bogs, but turns the FT up to “Well Done”, and toasts another German squad.

At this point, Gunny concedes, even before Final Fire.


While he had a chance to hurt my infantry with the PzKw and StuG, there was a very good chance of nothing happening. Even if the DC didn’t kill the tank, it would make the broken 8-1 most unhappy. There was a good chance of ambushing and killing both vehicles in CC, which would have put the Russians up to 18 or 20 CVPs. (The 10-3 would have a -4 drm to his Ambush roll. The StuG would have a +3...)

The only Russian setback thus far was one broken conscript. The OT-34 was in a position to engage one trench hex and one StuG, should it still be alive next turn.

Gunny hated this scenario – he thought that the Russians having an unstoppable tank made it too hard on the Germans. As the person with the Unstoppable Tank, I didn’t have a problem with it...

I dunno that it is pro-Russian. The LV hurts the Russian shots, and conscripts and Walking Wounded are not ideal for initiating CC when CVPs matter. Or when CCCP’s Lives matter. The 1 AT mine may do something – there is only one road to the back of the German position. The OT-34’s gun may be able to hurt the German armor – but, with AP7, maybe not. And the FT only has a decent chance against armor at one hex range. Then there’s that whole X10 thing...

Any small scenario with a FT and a 10-3 is going to be brittle. Still, I’d play it again.

Between the two versions, almost even on ROAR.

Pic from the end of R2 Movement below.



Next post – Thanksgiving in the time of COVID – Can you trust Grandma not to spit in your food???


‘I’m Major Issues, and I approve this message!’

 

[Sean Deller]

I played this three times in years past; all three were German victories. I thought it was balanced (enough), and enjoyable.

 

[Spencer Armstrong]

One of the scenarios that set my "I don't play tiny scenarios, especially those with Power Pieces" rule.

I still space out and break this rule sometimes and play such scenarios. They never fail to remind me why I have this rule.

 

[Doug Leslie]

I played this scenario once. The FT tank broke its flamethrower with its first shot. On its next turn it failed its non-platoon movement TC. On turn three it managed to survive a bog check when entering a building only to bust its transmission on turn four. It killed nobody. Needless to say, the Germans won with ease!

 

[jtsjc1]

I played this scenario once. The FT tank broke its flamethrower with its first shot. On its next turn it failed its non-platoon movement TC. On turn three it managed to survive a bog check when entering a building only to bust its transmission on turn four. It killed nobody. Needless to say, the Germans won with ease!

Man you should have lit that one up yourself.