Major Issues
Elder Member
Played this against Walt Harrar, with him as the Molson-swillin' Canadians, and me as the heroic Men In Black.
Canadians get 11 tanks, including a Crocodile. They also get a 10-2, a lot of time, and 80 mm OBA.
The Germans get 658s, 2 75L ATs, and a lot of AT ditches and mines. Most of these have to set up Known. I also get to create rubble. I used them to make a secret little enclave that had some interior hexes that he would not be able to get at with the tanks without driving into buildings. It also created more rubble hexes that he would have to control. 3 Panthers come in on turn 4.
I stretched the AT ditch across board 17, put the mines mostly in perimeter buildings he had to take, and put the AT guns on board 4. I was hoping to sucker him into bringing his tanks, or a portion of them, onto board 4. Besides the AT guns, the Germans only have a HMG and a MMG for distance fire. These were in Level 2 hexes, but I figured that OBA or Smoke would chase them out of there shortly.
Walt brought almost everybody up board 12, with some weak flankers. He held back the Crocodile and the Fireflies. I didn't do much with my MGs when he entered. By the end of turn 1, he had lost 2 tanks, but I had broken an AT gun, the HMG, and the MMG (the latter on an ill-advised 2-1/2 minus 2 sustained shot.)
Walt's plan to use lots of smoke sorta worked, but his tanks and mortars mostly didn't bring any, or ran out early. He did get OBA Smoke down, but he kept losing radio contact, so it was only marginally helpful. I did repair the 75L and the HMG. Walt broke a couple Sherman MAs, though he did repair them.
With all the smoke, my infantry shots weren't hurting him too much, but the AT guns did a fair amount of damage. He kept battle hardening, though, especially with broken guys. He created 4 heroes, and the wounded 10-2 became a Heroic 10-3.
When my Panthers came in, I brewed up a Sherman, and broke and reduced a flanker squad. Bottom of turn 5, I positioned myself for a shot against another Sherman. Walt spun his turret and rolled boxcars. He threw in the towel at that point, as I had crushed his fragile spirit. He controlled a couple buildings at the edge of town, but I had only lost 1-1/2 squads. Taking the rest of the buildings/ rubble was going to be very difficult with Panthers covering the roads, even with 4 turns. Both AT guns were still around. 5 of the buildings he had to take had mines, and two he was in also had mines. He had lost 4 tanks, and another looked doomed. Lack of much OBA hurt - 1 FM in 5 turns. Lost radio contact 4 times. The Crocodile had nailed a HS, but in town, it was going to be hard to get FT shots without being in PF/ PSW range.
Game highlight - I had 2 AT ditches in front of a 75L AT, with 6F AP mines in the closer one. Walt got one of his many Heroes into the minefield. When he tried to advance out to CC my crew, the minefield attack was snakes. Private Sheffield's left leg went flying up into the air, slowly turning as it went, finally coming to earth 3 turns later.
This one is worth playing, but if the AT guns and HMG don't do much, it could be an ugly day for the SS.
For parting words, I leave you with the email message I received from Walt's wife last night:
"Walter is sitting in the dark mumbling about drms, mcs, and tems."
Fragile. Spirit. Crushed.
Canadians get 11 tanks, including a Crocodile. They also get a 10-2, a lot of time, and 80 mm OBA.
The Germans get 658s, 2 75L ATs, and a lot of AT ditches and mines. Most of these have to set up Known. I also get to create rubble. I used them to make a secret little enclave that had some interior hexes that he would not be able to get at with the tanks without driving into buildings. It also created more rubble hexes that he would have to control. 3 Panthers come in on turn 4.
I stretched the AT ditch across board 17, put the mines mostly in perimeter buildings he had to take, and put the AT guns on board 4. I was hoping to sucker him into bringing his tanks, or a portion of them, onto board 4. Besides the AT guns, the Germans only have a HMG and a MMG for distance fire. These were in Level 2 hexes, but I figured that OBA or Smoke would chase them out of there shortly.
Walt brought almost everybody up board 12, with some weak flankers. He held back the Crocodile and the Fireflies. I didn't do much with my MGs when he entered. By the end of turn 1, he had lost 2 tanks, but I had broken an AT gun, the HMG, and the MMG (the latter on an ill-advised 2-1/2 minus 2 sustained shot.)
Walt's plan to use lots of smoke sorta worked, but his tanks and mortars mostly didn't bring any, or ran out early. He did get OBA Smoke down, but he kept losing radio contact, so it was only marginally helpful. I did repair the 75L and the HMG. Walt broke a couple Sherman MAs, though he did repair them.
With all the smoke, my infantry shots weren't hurting him too much, but the AT guns did a fair amount of damage. He kept battle hardening, though, especially with broken guys. He created 4 heroes, and the wounded 10-2 became a Heroic 10-3.
When my Panthers came in, I brewed up a Sherman, and broke and reduced a flanker squad. Bottom of turn 5, I positioned myself for a shot against another Sherman. Walt spun his turret and rolled boxcars. He threw in the towel at that point, as I had crushed his fragile spirit. He controlled a couple buildings at the edge of town, but I had only lost 1-1/2 squads. Taking the rest of the buildings/ rubble was going to be very difficult with Panthers covering the roads, even with 4 turns. Both AT guns were still around. 5 of the buildings he had to take had mines, and two he was in also had mines. He had lost 4 tanks, and another looked doomed. Lack of much OBA hurt - 1 FM in 5 turns. Lost radio contact 4 times. The Crocodile had nailed a HS, but in town, it was going to be hard to get FT shots without being in PF/ PSW range.
Game highlight - I had 2 AT ditches in front of a 75L AT, with 6F AP mines in the closer one. Walt got one of his many Heroes into the minefield. When he tried to advance out to CC my crew, the minefield attack was snakes. Private Sheffield's left leg went flying up into the air, slowly turning as it went, finally coming to earth 3 turns later.
This one is worth playing, but if the AT guns and HMG don't do much, it could be an ugly day for the SS.
For parting words, I leave you with the email message I received from Walt's wife last night:
"Walter is sitting in the dark mumbling about drms, mcs, and tems."
Fragile. Spirit. Crushed.
