=FC=Gorgon
Minister of Propaganda
JimP (Eagle02) and I had Red October CGII pretty much all setup and ready to play and then WHAM! COVID-19. Sigh. So we have been playing over VASL on Thursday nights. We will jump into CGII soon but our last VASL scenario was AP140 Misty Morning Mayhem. I took some notes so I'll write up a crappy AAR. I am not nearly as funny as Major Issues or vonTrotta, but I am funny looking; especially when I'm wearing a Darth Vader mask in line at McDonalds.
AP140 looks really interesting as the Germans have a super human force of 11 658 squads and 7(!!!) Panthers with help from a company of 468/467s and a PzIV and StuG IIIG to capture all multi-hex buildings on 3 boards. There are 6 such buildings. The Americans have 15 squad equivalents but some MGs, a 57L AT and 3 76L AT guns. The Guns are HIP with some BAZ44 toting dudes too. But with such a powerful SS force, how can the good guys survive 8.5 turns? One word: Fog.
E3.3 FOG is in effect (SSR 1). Key point of this rule for this scenario:
All Smoke rules otherwise apply normally.
This means one can only see out to 3 hexes (+2 LV in hex, +1, +1, +1, etc) and each hex moved into will add 1 MF/MP. So things will be very slow going and no one will be able hit the side of a barn, or winery, or whatever they have in this part of France.
I seriously pondered putting 2 of the Guns and the BAZ44 units HIP next to the "gimme" building in 71Y7. The Guns are going to have a hard time hitting anything. I figured most German players would leave a squad, at best, in that building and then move on. Why not have the HIP force jump out in turn 6 or 7, kill that dude and then say "how do you like them dem apples?". But I wussed out and did a conservative setup. If I play this again, and my opponent does not read this AAR, I will try out.
The mandatory units on board 55 setup to lay down some fire on the most likely approach; from due south of the village. As mentioned, movement will be very slow and even with 9 turns, the Germans cannot waste any time. I assumed the rest of the turn 1 force would come out on 71GG6 and head due west. Still, I put almost all of my stuff in the village itself. Way to slow to fall back and he's got 9 AFVs to my zero. The German player will not let you fall back. I put my guns along the perimeter, which is a mistake IMHO. Either setup the end game trap as described above or put them in the village. They cannot hit worth crap in the Fog. Might as well have the try to blow up anyone who gets into 1 hex range, etc, etc. My setup:
FYI, there is a CVP cap but I never really thought I'd have a shot of getting near it.
Turn 1:
As expected JimP comes in on the shortest possible paths. Four Panthers and what looks like most of the SS infantry come in from the south. Three Panthers and the rest of the SS infantry from the east. The board 55 American HMG kills a 658 Rider as it fails a 2MC and then boxcars the bailout MC. The HMG actually got a good ROF tear that breaks another 658 Rider, but the bailout MC generates a Hero instead. But later a Panther breaks the 347 manning the HMG so that is out for the rest of the game.
Turn 2:
I have a 'picket' MMG setup on board 71 to cover the road from the east. He gets a shot off to break a 658 and lay down a firelane. Don't expect a lot but it is a speed bump nonetheless. The 2nd Panzer division (another coy, a PzIV and StuG IIIG enter from the north; again with the shortest vector towards the main village. They do have a building to capture on their way to the village. I have a squad and 2 half squads there to make it look like I'm defending it at least a little bit.
In G2 the broken 347 who was manning that HMG tries to surrender but the dirty bastard SS declare No Quarter. To show them up, my 8-1 kills the Hero who jumped him for CC. That 8-1 had training and knew how to sneak up on his foe (ambushed him). My half of the turn is running back to the village. The Fog slows me down too.
Turn 3:
The Germans press on and I break a MMG on a 8+3 shot; which is a fantastic shot in this scenario. I reveal the 57L for a butt shot on a PzV but am unable to hit. That crew ends up ditching the gun and threatens victory building at the end game. The 57L does cause a Panther to change it's path and a HIP Hero/BAZ has a great chance...and blows it. A 3rd Panther and 658 pull up next to the Hero, who all of sudden wants to go on vacation. But they are not able to take him out and he ends up running westward and causes a bunch of trouble for the Germans (and then dies, unfortunately).
In the southwest a Panther overruns a concealed 667/MTR and I decide to keep concealment. The OVR has no effect but I totally forgot that Panthers have a sN and that breaks him in the CC phase. In this scenario, the Americans should ALWAYS be in a building. Never leave or you will get overrun.
I reveal a 76L for a Panther shot which misses and he ends up changing VCA to point at me so I really cannot affect him now. Most of my turn is still failing back but I try to threaten a Panther with the Hero/BAZ and a 666 with a broken MMG and 8-1. The stupid 666 fails PAATC (6 morale dudes don't like to attack tanks). He need a freaking 9 to kill so it was a no brainer to attempt. Oh well.
Continue in next post....
AP140 looks really interesting as the Germans have a super human force of 11 658 squads and 7(!!!) Panthers with help from a company of 468/467s and a PzIV and StuG IIIG to capture all multi-hex buildings on 3 boards. There are 6 such buildings. The Americans have 15 squad equivalents but some MGs, a 57L AT and 3 76L AT guns. The Guns are HIP with some BAZ44 toting dudes too. But with such a powerful SS force, how can the good guys survive 8.5 turns? One word: Fog.
E3.3 FOG is in effect (SSR 1). Key point of this rule for this scenario:
All Smoke rules otherwise apply normally.
This means one can only see out to 3 hexes (+2 LV in hex, +1, +1, +1, etc) and each hex moved into will add 1 MF/MP. So things will be very slow going and no one will be able hit the side of a barn, or winery, or whatever they have in this part of France.
I seriously pondered putting 2 of the Guns and the BAZ44 units HIP next to the "gimme" building in 71Y7. The Guns are going to have a hard time hitting anything. I figured most German players would leave a squad, at best, in that building and then move on. Why not have the HIP force jump out in turn 6 or 7, kill that dude and then say "how do you like them dem apples?". But I wussed out and did a conservative setup. If I play this again, and my opponent does not read this AAR, I will try out.
The mandatory units on board 55 setup to lay down some fire on the most likely approach; from due south of the village. As mentioned, movement will be very slow and even with 9 turns, the Germans cannot waste any time. I assumed the rest of the turn 1 force would come out on 71GG6 and head due west. Still, I put almost all of my stuff in the village itself. Way to slow to fall back and he's got 9 AFVs to my zero. The German player will not let you fall back. I put my guns along the perimeter, which is a mistake IMHO. Either setup the end game trap as described above or put them in the village. They cannot hit worth crap in the Fog. Might as well have the try to blow up anyone who gets into 1 hex range, etc, etc. My setup:
FYI, there is a CVP cap but I never really thought I'd have a shot of getting near it.
Turn 1:
As expected JimP comes in on the shortest possible paths. Four Panthers and what looks like most of the SS infantry come in from the south. Three Panthers and the rest of the SS infantry from the east. The board 55 American HMG kills a 658 Rider as it fails a 2MC and then boxcars the bailout MC. The HMG actually got a good ROF tear that breaks another 658 Rider, but the bailout MC generates a Hero instead. But later a Panther breaks the 347 manning the HMG so that is out for the rest of the game.
Turn 2:
I have a 'picket' MMG setup on board 71 to cover the road from the east. He gets a shot off to break a 658 and lay down a firelane. Don't expect a lot but it is a speed bump nonetheless. The 2nd Panzer division (another coy, a PzIV and StuG IIIG enter from the north; again with the shortest vector towards the main village. They do have a building to capture on their way to the village. I have a squad and 2 half squads there to make it look like I'm defending it at least a little bit.
In G2 the broken 347 who was manning that HMG tries to surrender but the dirty bastard SS declare No Quarter. To show them up, my 8-1 kills the Hero who jumped him for CC. That 8-1 had training and knew how to sneak up on his foe (ambushed him). My half of the turn is running back to the village. The Fog slows me down too.
Turn 3:
The Germans press on and I break a MMG on a 8+3 shot; which is a fantastic shot in this scenario. I reveal the 57L for a butt shot on a PzV but am unable to hit. That crew ends up ditching the gun and threatens victory building at the end game.
The 57L does cause a Panther to change it's path and a HIP Hero/BAZ has a great chance...and blows it. A 3rd Panther and 658 pull up next to the Hero, who all of sudden wants to go on vacation. But they are not able to take him out and he ends up running westward and causes a bunch of trouble for the Germans (and then dies, unfortunately).In the southwest a Panther overruns a concealed 667/MTR and I decide to keep concealment. The OVR has no effect but I totally forgot that Panthers have a sN and that breaks him in the CC phase. In this scenario, the Americans should ALWAYS be in a building. Never leave or you will get overrun.
I reveal a 76L for a Panther shot which misses and he ends up changing VCA to point at me so I really cannot affect him now. Most of my turn is still failing back but I try to threaten a Panther with the Hero/BAZ and a 666 with a broken MMG and 8-1. The stupid 666 fails PAATC (6 morale dudes don't like to attack tanks). He need a freaking 9 to kill so it was a no brainer to attempt. Oh well.
Continue in next post....
