OK here are the at start pics didn't take them until 1/2 way through prep and the bombardment counter is still down, it didn't do much but some rubble.
In the South:
You can see the guys coming and causing a traffic jam and the original beached boats at start which I am now thinking is a mistake. First kill stack there by the bridge did nothing but he is still a threat, had 2 100mm OBA FFE on him and got 2 PTCs I think... could have made this very different here, lost radio contact once and than no results really... could have devastated this flank easily with better OBA, drift or results. I have some guys hiding from the bombardment back up the road which are now in town trying to push the first crossers back.
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OK in the middle
I don't know what that 5/8 stack is in the TT row... must have put some counters down by mistake...
This was the tail of the main effort from at start. Table is not quite big enough so that two stacks on the roads are his 6 ACs "lined" up for entry.
This kill stack has been smoked once and he just keeps sliding down the river bank and has now cleared the other side effectively... I have a stack of 3 mmgs over here that can't touch him... the mortar went to smoke him on Turn 2 again and malfunctioned... that is going to hurt.
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And in the North we started with this. Nothing has crossed down here and I've killed half? of the beached boats. I have 3 37* INF that can see this area.
Interesting question exhibited here. Can a unit advance into PP14 let's say and also board the beached boat all in the advance phase? Not 2 locations, only 2 MF so we've been allowing it... not sure if it's the best move but he has used it.
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Summary of the first few turns... I've killed like 14 boats so far. Killing beached boats are pretty easy, hit them and they die. The 37* inf SW have killed the bulk of them I think. I don't think I affected more than 1 or 2 boats in the water. I took a lot of IFT shots, low odds to be sure, but never got even one 2 or 3 to kill anything in the water. I finally just hit a guy in the water with the 25LL that popped up on the ridge and Neil through the boat at me before I showed him it was a hull hit and put him back
I took a risk with one of the 25LL guns and put him in LL38 right on the edge of the river and he killed multiple beached boats and maybe one in the water... but he was finally going to be marked by the kill stack so I intensive fired at a boat I had acquired and broke it... so maybe a draw there.
The question is, is it better for the French to husband his forces or kill boats? I've clearly taken the kill boats at all costs approach and now I am going to start paying for it. I didn't get anything from the Infantry on the rivers edge really and my long range stuff is about to be played out. As Neil said will he have enough to push across this scenario? Probably I think unless my OBA can come back and do something. If my OBA had affected his two kill stacks I think it could have been a stuff job without him getting across at all really... I'd still have infantry on the edge and at some points the LV goes away and I might start affecting the boats in the water.
The LV saved at least 2 or 3 boats from at least a CR result.
Buying the OBA as the French is a risk, ties up another leader (which I am starting to need) and is fickle but could have very easily turned the tide.