waltermcwilliam
Senior Member
Tom Kearny and I squared off today in the first scenario of our low-countries campaign, which will feature all of the official MMP scenarios of engagements fought in the low-countries and Norway in chronological order. I asked and Tom graciously allowed me to play the Allied side for the duration of the campaign. First on our list, Good Night Sweet Prince.
There are few gambits available to defender in setting up to receive the German attack that make better sense than the obvious. One wire counter on each bridge, with a small covering force to keep the attacker honest, the HMG and best leader in a steeple location, and MMG covering one left-bridge. Only with the two at start AT guns can the defender perhaps throw the dice and gamble on his set up. I chose to place the 37L in a position covering the right-bridge, while the 20L covered the long straight diagonal which interdicts both far-side crossing points. My covering force consisted of a 1st line squad w/lmg, a green squad, the 8-0 and a 1st line half-squad. Everything else set up on the VC side of the canal.
Tom's attack came down my left flank. He led with his armor CE and using platoon movement and set a fire lane down the route of their advance forcing the lead panzer to take an NMC, which Tom boxcared on his first die-roll of the day. My HMG in the steeple stung is fire-support group and to add insult to injury a sniper check , initiated from the same HMG attack managed to KIA his fire-support group leader. His surviving panzer malf'd its main armament trying to blast the HMG from their second story perch, but the balance of his infantry made it into the left flank woods, pushing aside the covering 1/2 squad I had positioned on that flank and ignoring some pretty withering fire from the HMG. The covering force on the right hunkered down in the stone buildings and I positioned the Nimbus to interdict his reinforcement from entering close to the canal. Tom chose not to risk it, and came in on woods road along my right-flank.
With his reinforcements in place Tom used a mass infantry fire group to finally break the HMG crew, and forced the stone building the covering force was occupying. The squad withstood a 24+3 blast with no effect but failed to break Tom's maneuver element which closed in for a CC. There was no ambush and Tom found the boxcar's again so I withdrew the squad out and skulked away to survive another turn. This I think was critical as it forced Tom to spend another turn clearing the covering force. Though he did succeed in throwing his first panzer onto the bridge where it bogged on the wire which gave me time to push the 37L into a better firing position. The fanatic status helped the survive some good shots.
The last two turn were as expected an exhilarating rush to cross the bridge. Both Panzers made it across the wire with out eliminating it but one was immobilized by the Nimbus and the other destroyed by the 37L. Some straggling infantry did succeed becoming berserk and charging to a bloody 24 flat blast.
Overall this was a great scenario. Don't get wrapped up in its Roar rating! Roar doesn't measure fun and this scenario has a lot of it. Next up is ASL 44 The Gauntlet.
. Eventually a massed infantry fire-group succeeded and the covering force was rolled up
There are few gambits available to defender in setting up to receive the German attack that make better sense than the obvious. One wire counter on each bridge, with a small covering force to keep the attacker honest, the HMG and best leader in a steeple location, and MMG covering one left-bridge. Only with the two at start AT guns can the defender perhaps throw the dice and gamble on his set up. I chose to place the 37L in a position covering the right-bridge, while the 20L covered the long straight diagonal which interdicts both far-side crossing points. My covering force consisted of a 1st line squad w/lmg, a green squad, the 8-0 and a 1st line half-squad. Everything else set up on the VC side of the canal.
Tom's attack came down my left flank. He led with his armor CE and using platoon movement and set a fire lane down the route of their advance forcing the lead panzer to take an NMC, which Tom boxcared on his first die-roll of the day. My HMG in the steeple stung is fire-support group and to add insult to injury a sniper check , initiated from the same HMG attack managed to KIA his fire-support group leader. His surviving panzer malf'd its main armament trying to blast the HMG from their second story perch, but the balance of his infantry made it into the left flank woods, pushing aside the covering 1/2 squad I had positioned on that flank and ignoring some pretty withering fire from the HMG. The covering force on the right hunkered down in the stone buildings and I positioned the Nimbus to interdict his reinforcement from entering close to the canal. Tom chose not to risk it, and came in on woods road along my right-flank.
With his reinforcements in place Tom used a mass infantry fire group to finally break the HMG crew, and forced the stone building the covering force was occupying. The squad withstood a 24+3 blast with no effect but failed to break Tom's maneuver element which closed in for a CC. There was no ambush and Tom found the boxcar's again so I withdrew the squad out and skulked away to survive another turn. This I think was critical as it forced Tom to spend another turn clearing the covering force. Though he did succeed in throwing his first panzer onto the bridge where it bogged on the wire which gave me time to push the 37L into a better firing position. The fanatic status helped the survive some good shots.
The last two turn were as expected an exhilarating rush to cross the bridge. Both Panzers made it across the wire with out eliminating it but one was immobilized by the Nimbus and the other destroyed by the 37L. Some straggling infantry did succeed becoming berserk and charging to a bloody 24 flat blast.
Overall this was a great scenario. Don't get wrapped up in its Roar rating! Roar doesn't measure fun and this scenario has a lot of it. Next up is ASL 44 The Gauntlet.
. Eventually a massed infantry fire-group succeeded and the covering force was rolled up
