ASL scenarios featuring close relatives

[asloser]

Quoting Michael Rodgers in the So what scenarios have you played Recently? thread...

FrF33 UNDER THE NORTHERN LIGHT
Mixed SS with 2 guns, reinforced by a greater amount of SS infantry, try to hold a factory or any building adjacent to a runway hex vs elite infantry with OBA. I managed to practice this scenario ahead of the tournament. I bid for the SS, who I think are favoured. Steffen Knippel (from Winnipeg) bid for the Finns. His attack was completely different from my practice game. I was worried that I might lose the factory before my reinforcements entered. I saw, however, that there were not a lot of Finns on the runway side of things. The factory was holding, so I sent the reinforcements to the runway area. I eventually had several squads in two buildings. Not long after, Steffen conceded. He told me that he had misunderstood the VC. He thought the Finns could win by taking the factory OR taking a building by the runway. German win. 2-0

Just one cool bit of personal trivia iI need to share about this one: my maternal grandfather was serving with the Finnish unit depicted in this battle.

I recently got hold of some documents detailing his wartime service and realized this fact. Unfortunately he died of tuberculosis 4 years later in 1948 just after my mother was born so I have had no chance to get any more direct info.

I played this one myself couple of years back without being aware of this. I have brother who also plays ASL I might play this one with him one day to play tribute to his wartime service.

Does anyone else have similar connection to an ASL scenario?

 

[Actionjick]

Quoting Michael Rodgers in the So what scenarios have you played Recently? thread...



Just one cool bit of personal trivia iI need to share about this one: my maternal grandfather was serving with the Finnish unit depicted in this battle.

I recently got hold of some documents detailing his wartime service and realized this fact. Unfortunately he died of tuberculosis 4 years later in 1948 just after my mother was born so I have had no chance to get any more direct info.

I played this one myself couple of years back without being aware of this. I have brother who also plays ASL I might play this one with him one day to play tribute to his wartime service.

Does anyone else have similar connection to an ASL scenario?

Very interesting and a cool idea to play it with your brother.

 

[Philippe D.]

My own paternal grandfather was a young officer in the French army and was made a prisoner after the '40 campaign, but I don't know if he was in any combat before that. Both he and my grandmother are long gone, and even my father passed away a few years ago, so I don't think I'll ever know (some of my uncles might know, but then I don't see them very often).

 

[asloser]

I seem to have written something about it. Same post has games I played with my brother.

So what scenarios have you played Recently?

[AP103] That Damned Bridge Face-to-face with Dave Stephens today and I had the Americans. A total dice out. I did not lose a squad, had one ELR failure only. Did not get to charge with my "Dare Death (obviously no Covid-19 in 1944)" Americans. WP was so-so. Cleared the mines on...

www.gamesquad.com

 

[M.Koch]

FrF100 "Deutsch Lesson"
My maternal grandfather served with the Fallschirm-Sturmgeschütz-Brigade XII. I have dedicated the scenario to him as you can see on the scenario card.
He was taken prisoner some days after the scenario and was released from captivity very soon....

 

[asloser]

FrF100 "Deutsch Lesson"
My maternal grandfather served with the Fallschirm-Sturmgeschütz-Brigade XII. I have dedicated the scenario to him as you can see on the scenario card.
He was taken prisoner some days after the scenario and was released from captivity very soon....

I had noticed the dedication before but did not know what it was about. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Vic Provost]

My dad was a combat/construction engineer master sergeant in WW2, mainly was training others until 1944 when sent into NW Europe, he was mainly building pontoon bridges ahead of the British and USA units in Belgium, the Netherlands and into northern Germany, he saw some limited combat, one time they had to take out a pillbox and he ordered them to blow it up with a DC. Other than that and some snipers when they got into Germany, he was building more than fighting. No real scenario as he did not like to talk about the war.

 

[Actionjick]

My dad was a combat/construction engineer master sergeant in WW2, mainly was training others until 1944 when sent into NW Europe, he was mainly building pontoon bridges ahead of the British and USA units in Belgium, the Netherlands and into northern Germany, he saw some limited combat, one time they had to take out a pillbox and he ordered them to blow it up with a DC. Other than that and some snipers when they got into Germany, he was building more than fighting. No real scenario as he did not like to talk about the war.

I had relatives who served but none of them talked about it either.

 

[King Scott II]

I come from a long line of individuals with very strong survival instincts...no service connections at all.

Semper Fi!
Scott

 

[Blaze]

Not exactly IN a scenario depicted in ASL BUT witnessed by many that landed initially on Guadalcanal. Many of the Marine's there witnessed the battle of Salvo Island and were cheering as they assumed the USN was creaming the IJN. When they woke up, they were mortified by what they seen and the absence of the USN as Turner pulled them out. The sunrise also did not rise on my 19-year-old uncle Al, as he went down on the USS Vincennes. Any Time playing any Scenario GT-WT or whatever in eyeshot. I remember.

 

[Yuri0352]

Not exactly IN a scenario depicted in ASL BUT witnessed by many that landed initially on Guadalcanal. Many of the Marine's there witnessed the battle of Salvo Island and were cheering as they assumed the USN was creaming the IJN. When they woke up, they were mortified by what they seen and the absence of the USN as Turner pulled them out. The sunrise also did not rise on my 19-year-old uncle Al, as he went down on the USS Vincennes. Any Time playing any Scenario GT-WT or whatever in eyeshot. I remember.
View attachment 25833

A most timely and appropriate post considering the true meaning of this weekend.

 

[sswann]

Not in any known scenario that I know of.
I had a distant Marine cousin who was a member of the flag-raising platoon on Mount Suribachi, Iwo Jima.
Unfortunately he was killed on his way up the mountain. (Not one of the seven)

 

[Actionjick]

A most timely and appropriate post considering the true meaning of this weekend.

Well said.

 

[Eagle4ty]

My dad ended the war as an FO (Forward Artillery Observer) with the U.S. 32nd Division and had fought all the way across the Pacific from New Guinea to the day of the capture of Yamashita in the Philippines. I'm not sure of how many exact direct encounters he participated in (other than when he was with his buddies, they didn't talk about such things much, but a few are close enough for me) however he certainly was helping providing fire support to the Americans & Australians in New Guinea at Buna-Gona; Lae-Finschhaven (The Mubo Decision); Saidor; and along the Drunimore River (Chikila Sunrise)-where his battery was firing over open sights at the oncoming Japanese (one of the few stories I heard several times). On Leyte in the Philippines, I know he witnessed the actions of Dirk Vlug taking on 5 Japanese Tanks singlehandedly (Schwerepunkt has a scenario about that) from a ridge above the action, as he always said that was the craziest thing he'd ever seen in the war. Of course, he was with the division as they fought the 1st Imperial Japanese Division on Breakneck Ridge and Kilay Ridge as they broke into the Ormoc Valley in Northern Leyte. By the time the 32nd "Red Arrow" Division was employed on Luzon they were assigned to crack Gen Yamashita's northern redoubt along the Villa Verde Trail (and would eventually accept his surrender). It's here that I know he participated in a direct action as his we had a framed copy of Stars and Stripes signed "From Dutch to Indian" (my dad's nickname) always hanging in our house given to him by his best buddy Dutch Larson. On a 40-man patrol, they had encamped on a river sand bar overnight and were hit by the Japanese during an all-night attack. My dad's buddy was shot through the buttocks and hip and my dad stayed with him all night though they were in jeopardy of being overrun. Another man on that patrol would be awarded the MOH for that action (and even be on a History Channel presentation) for personally taking out about 50 Japanese during their defense. In all they figured about 100 to 120 Japanese had hit them that night. I have my dad's 6 combat service stripes (each representing 6 months of combat) and his Bronze Star Ribbon (3 awards) along with his Staff Sergeant's stripes and garrison cap, though my 99-year-old mom still has the medals. Of course others in the family also served, my mom's brother was on Corregidor (The Rock) and spent time as a Japanese POW; dad's brother was with the 5307th Composit in Burma. My other two uncles, brothers that married my dad's sisters, were Marines; one serving on Saipan and the other I know as a rifleman on Okinawa.

 

[Hutch]

My dad ended the war as an FO (Forward Artillery Observer) with the U.S. 32nd Division and had fought all the way across the Pacific from New Guinea to the day of the capture of Yamashita in the Philippines. I'm not sure of how many exact direct encounters he participated in (other than when he was with his buddies, they didn't talk about such things much, but a few are close enough for me) however he certainly was helping providing fire support to the Americans & Australians in New Guinea at Buna-Gona; Lae-Finschhaven (The Mubo Decision); Saidor; and along the Drunimore River (Chikila Sunrise)-where his battery was firing over open sights at the oncoming Japanese (one of the few stories I heard several times). On Leyte in the Philippines, I know he witnessed the actions of Dirk Vlug taking on 5 Japanese Tanks singlehandedly (Schwerepunkt has a scenario about that) from a ridge above the action, as he always said that was the craziest thing he'd ever seen in the war. Of course, he was with the division as they fought the 1st Imperial Japanese Division on Breakneck Ridge and Kilay Ridge as they broke into the Ormoc Valley in Northern Leyte. By the time the 32nd "Red Arrow" Division was employed on Luzon they were assigned to crack Gen Yamashita's northern redoubt along the Villa Verde Trail (and would eventually accept his surrender). It's here that I know he participated in a direct action as his we had a framed copy of Stars and Stripes signed "From Dutch to Indian" (my dad's nickname) always hanging in our house given to him by his best buddy Dutch Larson. On a 40-man patrol, they had encamped on a river sand bar overnight and were hit by the Japanese during an all-night attack. My dad's buddy was shot through the buttocks and hip and my dad stayed with him all night though they were in jeopardy of being overrun. Another man on that patrol would be awarded the MOH for that action (and even be on a History Channel presentation) for personally taking out about 50 Japanese during their defense. In all they figured about 100 to 120 Japanese had hit them that night. I have my dad's 6 combat service stripes (each representing 6 months of combat) and his Bronze Star Ribbon (3 awards) along with his Staff Sergeant's stripes and garrison cap, though my 99-year-old mom still has the medals. Of course others in the family also served, my mom's brother was on Corregidor (The Rock) and spent time as a Japanese POW; dad's brother was with the 5307th Composit in Burma. My other two uncles, brothers that married my dad's sisters, were Marines; one serving on Saipan and the other I know as a rifleman on Okinawa.

The MOH was awarded to Pvt. John McKinney in that battle. Check out the book “Phantom Warrior” about the battle at the Sand Bar by Forest Bryant Johnson who also wrote “Raid on Cabanatuan.”

 

[TopT]

Nice stories and apt for the weekend as well.

 

[semenza]

No scenario unless you count NOBA. Uncle on my Dad's side. Was on Heavy Cruiser Vicksburg. At Iwo Jima he watched the flag (not sure witch raising) go up while on observation duty.

At Okinawa, Vicksburg was on station to locate and destroy one of the big guns firing from a cave position. They were not able to spot it. Vicksburg was relieved by Pensicola. And almost immediately Pensicola was hit by the gun. Vicksburg shelled the gun location heavily, but did not know for sure if they nailed it.

Probably many more actions around those islands that he didn't get a chance to tell me about.

Seth

 

[rtroha]

Okay, not a relative but a former neighbor who lived across the street from us on our cul-de-sac. One winter day I was out shoveling snow when the old Polish gentleman came back from walking his dog.

"Sure is cold out, Mr. Severin" , I said.
"You think this is cold, you should what it is like in Siberia", he said.
"Huh? Siberia!?" I asked. Here's what he told me.

He was attending technical college when the invasion happened. He was also a reservist and was called up as an officer. He was captured by the Russians and initially put into a large open air barbed wire compound with other Polish POWs. After sitting in the rain for several days, he and another guy had enough and decided to escape.

Unfortunately, they were recaptured and, as punishment, sent to work in a Siberian coal mine. After the Germans invaded Russia, He made his way to the UK via Iran. (After 30 years I don't remember the details of how he got from Siberia to Iran). Anyway, he ended up serving as an officer in a sapper unit in the Polish unit that fought in Italy.

One day, he was a passenger in a truck crossing a shallow steam when it hit a mine. It killed the driver and broke both of his legs. (I always wondered why Mr. Severin walked funny with a rocking back and forth sort of motion).

When he got done telling me this had tears in his eyes.

 

[Jazz]

My father wuz in an NKVD prison outside Kaunas Lithuania waiting for the train to Siberia like his father and brother before him.....when the Germans invaded and they were lucky to have guards that calculated there were enough prisoners and not enough guards to hold them off if they started shooting them.....there is a scenario in a recent Journal that happened in 1944 outside of Kaunas....dad would have probably been walking west toward Germany but within earshot of the original event.

 

[olli]

My Father took part onboard a troop landing ships in Sicily, Salerno, Anzio, D-day and the Scheldt estuary operations but never stepped foot until after the latter and arrived in Europe mainland in Antwerp once captured .