Eagle4ty
Forum Guru
On Monday, my usual weekly nemisis, Curtis Brooks, and I squared off at this scenario from the "High Ground 2" pack. To say that six (YES SIX!) Ferdinands and the gi-normous High Ground double board hill are eye catchers for this scenario is an understatement. Also the title refering to Hill 253.5 (harking memories of another great scenario) was a personal draw. This scenario has seen several changes since its original publishing in "High Ground 1" by HOB (all unknown to me, as I have never played the original), notably the replacement of a Russian 57mm ATG with another 45mm ATG for the Russians, and the addition of three 81mm Mortars to the German OB. (Right!, It looked as if that's just what the German needed was MORE firepower!:OHNO
Tasked with the mission of defending an almost bald knob against a superior force and against an especially crafty opponent that all but owns me in ASL, I was of course elated:nuts:. Thus I commenced to peruse the scenario and glance at the map. Always a quick study and having an unusaual knack of grasping the obvious quickly, after several hours of pouring over the situation, I came to a realization I was screwed! BUT, I still had to give it a try.:upset:
Realizing that any attemt to defnd the hill by occupying it in any force would lead to a cancerous death because of smoke, I chose to defend forward along the board junctiions with only my ATRY pieces and my HIP observer occupying positions on the ediface (along with a couple stacks of dummies at level 3 & 4 to simulate the observer). This I hoped would limit the effectriveness of his mortars, and maybe I could even play HE tag with them if need be.
Each of the roads were interdicted by AT-Ditches with 6 AP minefields on them. The 6 trenches held the center with infantry in them (no leader; sorry boys, these are DIP -Die in place- positions). On my flanks were the the wire also including an AT minefield for good measure. The remaining AT minefieds were dispersed in the woods along my MLR -Main Line of Resistance- to catch his ferocious felines as they attempted to bypass these terrain features (also, no TB when using bypass). My HMG/9-1 directed was set up on my right flank in a bunker covering the most expected route of advance and the MMG/7-0 directed was set up in the other bunker guarding the wire and patch of woods on my left. Each of the ATGs were set up close to the front, one on either flank and one in the center in grain, to be able to hopefully get some immob. shots at his beasties as the tore through my line. I placed 2 sqds with LMGs in the little finger of woods on my right flank and used my HIP 328 HSs to garrison the woods patches along my front [EXC: one hid out in the brush on my right flank to hopefully catch some Germans blithely waltzing up to my positions from his dagger-like woods position there]. With this defense, At least the kitties wold have to take a BOG check or better to go through my linear defense, and hopefully I could strip the infantry away from them for long enough until my MUCH VAUNTED :clown: armor arrived. The Arty Observer occupied a Level 3 grain hex, and would bring down Harassing fire to hopefully keep his infantry honest (if he wasn't smoked to death-hence the dummies; and a prayer).
Curtis, also a master of the obvious, chose to set up a split attack against each of my flanks to avoid getting all of his infantry caught by the Arty, and put a few MGs for support in the center. His Mortars were effectively placed to bring smoke upon me and plaster anything that decieded to get hill-happy. The Big ugly kitties supported the infantry equally and allowed him to approach using armored-assault.
Following the first roll for wind change, it was on to beastie bashing! Smoke was immediately brought down on my hill dummies (who else would set up there), so much the better for my observer. Following a short prep, his forces sprang forth from their attack positions and like a thundering heard of turtles, approached my lines. Fearing forward HIPpies, some of his first moves were to search a wealth of hexes and used armored assault to get forward, so much the better as my turn 5 reinforcement is along way off). However, save for a solitary SR, the Russian positions were mysteriously silentaperbag:.
Emboldened by a lack of response from the Soviets, the landsers pushed forward along with the big hunting tigers SPEEDING to the fore (8 MPs and Mechanical reliabity to boot - Woo-Hoo). Now it was time for the MGs and a couple of HIPsters to make known their presence. They caught a couple of units in the open and when an Arty piece managed to blast a 9-2 stack, followed by a Sniper attack on same (Bye-Bye, big guy!!), his left flank was in shambles and his right flank held up by just enough firepower to keep his boys honest. Pushing his "stampeding" Ferdinands through my wire and bypassing the woods hexes, he was surprised by mines and Russian engineers more than willing to go into CC with the imposing MG-less hunks of iron. By mid game my 45mm MGs were adding their sharp cracks to the din of battle, immobilizing a big boy and actually managing a CH followed by a roasting toastie result against another. As he attempted to clear my trench line a "Ferdie" was bogged and yet another lost its MA. By now my harrassing fire was plastering his infantry as well. Though my infantry was being decimated (I told you they were DIPpers), they had managed to hold just long enough and had inflicted telling blows to the German Jurgernaught, KIAing both FT toting units among other actions.
With the few remaing effective German infantry trapped in my trenches by Arty falling all around meanwhile fighing with the remnants of my forces there, and but a single mobile and dangerous Cat remaining against the oncoming Russian armor hell bent to protect the hill, Curtis reluctantly gave up late in the game. Ammazingly both my HMG and MMG as well as an Arty piece and a single 45 remained servicable. That I had managed to salvage a couple of HSs to race to hill for a final stand was a double blessing as well.
All in all this was a tense fight (thought I was losing most of the time), and was great fun. Reccommend you give this one a try, very tasking for either player.
Tasked with the mission of defending an almost bald knob against a superior force and against an especially crafty opponent that all but owns me in ASL, I was of course elated:nuts:. Thus I commenced to peruse the scenario and glance at the map. Always a quick study and having an unusaual knack of grasping the obvious quickly, after several hours of pouring over the situation, I came to a realization I was screwed! BUT, I still had to give it a try.:upset:
Realizing that any attemt to defnd the hill by occupying it in any force would lead to a cancerous death because of smoke, I chose to defend forward along the board junctiions with only my ATRY pieces and my HIP observer occupying positions on the ediface (along with a couple stacks of dummies at level 3 & 4 to simulate the observer). This I hoped would limit the effectriveness of his mortars, and maybe I could even play HE tag with them if need be.
Each of the roads were interdicted by AT-Ditches with 6 AP minefields on them. The 6 trenches held the center with infantry in them (no leader; sorry boys, these are DIP -Die in place- positions). On my flanks were the the wire also including an AT minefield for good measure. The remaining AT minefieds were dispersed in the woods along my MLR -Main Line of Resistance- to catch his ferocious felines as they attempted to bypass these terrain features (also, no TB when using bypass). My HMG/9-1 directed was set up on my right flank in a bunker covering the most expected route of advance and the MMG/7-0 directed was set up in the other bunker guarding the wire and patch of woods on my left. Each of the ATGs were set up close to the front, one on either flank and one in the center in grain, to be able to hopefully get some immob. shots at his beasties as the tore through my line. I placed 2 sqds with LMGs in the little finger of woods on my right flank and used my HIP 328 HSs to garrison the woods patches along my front [EXC: one hid out in the brush on my right flank to hopefully catch some Germans blithely waltzing up to my positions from his dagger-like woods position there]. With this defense, At least the kitties wold have to take a BOG check or better to go through my linear defense, and hopefully I could strip the infantry away from them for long enough until my MUCH VAUNTED :clown: armor arrived. The Arty Observer occupied a Level 3 grain hex, and would bring down Harassing fire to hopefully keep his infantry honest (if he wasn't smoked to death-hence the dummies; and a prayer).
Curtis, also a master of the obvious, chose to set up a split attack against each of my flanks to avoid getting all of his infantry caught by the Arty, and put a few MGs for support in the center. His Mortars were effectively placed to bring smoke upon me and plaster anything that decieded to get hill-happy. The Big ugly kitties supported the infantry equally and allowed him to approach using armored-assault.
Following the first roll for wind change, it was on to beastie bashing! Smoke was immediately brought down on my hill dummies (who else would set up there), so much the better for my observer. Following a short prep, his forces sprang forth from their attack positions and like a thundering heard of turtles, approached my lines. Fearing forward HIPpies, some of his first moves were to search a wealth of hexes and used armored assault to get forward, so much the better as my turn 5 reinforcement is along way off). However, save for a solitary SR, the Russian positions were mysteriously silent
aperbag:.Emboldened by a lack of response from the Soviets, the landsers pushed forward along with the big hunting tigers SPEEDING to the fore (8 MPs and Mechanical reliabity to boot - Woo-Hoo). Now it was time for the MGs and a couple of HIPsters to make known their presence. They caught a couple of units in the open and when an Arty piece managed to blast a 9-2 stack, followed by a Sniper attack on same (Bye-Bye, big guy!!), his left flank was in shambles and his right flank held up by just enough firepower to keep his boys honest. Pushing his "stampeding" Ferdinands through my wire and bypassing the woods hexes, he was surprised by mines and Russian engineers more than willing to go into CC with the imposing MG-less hunks of iron. By mid game my 45mm MGs were adding their sharp cracks to the din of battle, immobilizing a big boy and actually managing a CH followed by a roasting toastie result against another. As he attempted to clear my trench line a "Ferdie" was bogged and yet another lost its MA. By now my harrassing fire was plastering his infantry as well. Though my infantry was being decimated (I told you they were DIPpers), they had managed to hold just long enough and had inflicted telling blows to the German Jurgernaught, KIAing both FT toting units among other actions.
With the few remaing effective German infantry trapped in my trenches by Arty falling all around meanwhile fighing with the remnants of my forces there, and but a single mobile and dangerous Cat remaining against the oncoming Russian armor hell bent to protect the hill, Curtis reluctantly gave up late in the game. Ammazingly both my HMG and MMG as well as an Arty piece and a single 45 remained servicable. That I had managed to salvage a couple of HSs to race to hill for a final stand was a double blessing as well.
All in all this was a tense fight (thought I was losing most of the time), and was great fun. Reccommend you give this one a try, very tasking for either player.
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