I Think I Can, I Think I Can, I think I Canicatti

The Purist

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J51 Canicatti (Journal 3)

Geoff (Uncle Duke) wrapped up this scenario last Saturday evening after a nail biting finish that came down to the last American move and AFPH.

Canicatti pits a German defence of half of Board 15 centred on two 50L AT guns supported by six 1st Line squads, three Elite half-squads ,a 9-1, 8-0, 2 LMG an MMG and one HMG. The defence is well entrenched with four trenches and a 1+3+5 pillbox. The German has an ELR of 3 and a SAN of 4. An SSR makes all gun crews Fanatic as long as they are manning a gun.

The attackers are Elite American infantry with seven tanks (that's right,... SEVEN Sherman tanks,... on a half map) in July 1943. They have three SMCs, two MMGs and an ELR 3/SAN2. Their mission is clear the hill level 2 or higher in seven turns. Note that US armour is decidedly lacking in Smoke making ability at this point of the war.

With a narrow front and good positions on I decided to concentrate the defence in a redoubt on top of the hill with good LOS from levels 3 and 4. The pillbox was placed as a Bunker in 15N5 along with both MG teams, the 8-0 to prevent cowering and an emplaced 50L, two Trenches were placed in 15M4 and M5. If things got too hot I could pull back into a good position out of LOS from lower elevations. The second 50L went in 15M6, placing both guns in a position to cover the likely American approaches. The remaining Trenches were placed in fall back positions 15D3 and P4 in case of late game need but also to deny them to US squads as they advanced.

One squad was deployed and placed along with the third elite HS on the western half of the defence along with all 5 dummy counters - in effect the western defence was a bluff. This placed 5 squads the 9-1 and both LMGs in the centre and east with the mission to block the blind approach to the redoubt behind building 20C7 and up over the hill east of the cliffs. All the infantry would move into the town to delay the US infantry as long as possible and then (hopefully) fall back on the heights.

Geoff's attack came in pretty much where it was expected and the AT guns let fly. Other than one APCR CH the shooting was pretty average and I managed to bag two M4s while the MGs up in the PB broke up a few infantry movers. Then both AT guns Malf'd followed by the MMG.

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At this point things looked bleak for the Germans as Geoff's armour could advance without risk until at least one gun was repaired. Sure enough the US armour leapt forward while German infantry did its best to delay the US squads. The MMG was repaired in short order but one 50L was disabled and it took until Turn 3 to get the second gun back into fighting trim.

The German infantry to the west died slowly but were reinforced by a full squad. Three attempts to close combat US tanks all failed as the term "PAATC" seems to have been left out of German manuals for this battle. The German infantry in the and around building 20C7 dove into CC against the US HS swarm and got pinned down for some time, despite one squad generating a Hero. By the end of Turn 3 It looked like the Germans would be pulling a last stand on the heights without help from the troops below.

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Turns 4 and 5 were very busy for the H/MMG teams up top and the 50L AT spun its CA 180 deg almost every fire phase trying to keep the US tanks from breaking through. Shot by shot the AT gun managed to run up a series of hits, then a third kill,... then a fourth. An ROF tear by the HMG helped break up the US infantry attack while the Hero and the two squads in and around 20C7 slowly got the upper hand on the US 347s. A fortunate sniper attack bagged the wounded 9-1 an the last two CCs in turn 5 had two German squads break free in the east just as US infantry from the west began climbing the hill.

As pressure increased the two HS and 8-0 left the PB for the Trench on level 3 in 15M5 and the AT gun was pushed into the same hex. The HS combined and the spare AT gun crew took over the MMG,... if the US were going to take the position they would have to climb the hill and expose themselves to fire at range one or two hexes at best across open ground. On the last German move the remaining German infantry at the base of the hill on the east side managed to get up onto the heights to complicate the last US move.

The US tanks advanced from behind the hill while the infantry charged "over the top" of the crest line and into the muzzles of the machine guns. One Sherman was 'Shocked' but the other two shrugged off AT gun fire and made their last attempts to breaks the Germans. The German troops withstood all the attacks and no American infantry managed to get into the trenches.

A German win but I had to work for it.

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CTKnudsen

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I played and had a lot of fun with this scenario at CASLO this year - probably one of the most fun games I've ever played, lots of zaniness and sudden reversals. It went down to the wire, but the Germans managed to keep a HS alive on level 2 at the end. Found out later that my oppo had set up his ATG incorrectly in a crag hex, but still a blast of a scenario that I would recommend to anyone!
 

Uncle_Duke

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Canicatti is a fascinating scenario, and was very much a learning experience for me.

My plan going in was to push the armor forward hard and fast, clear the AT guns' firing arcs, and try to put tanks between the German infantry screen and the hill to prevent their withdrawal to a second defensive line. Then, roll up the infantry screen and storm the hill itself.

The good news: Lots of tanks.
The bad news: If 5 are killed, recalled, or immobilized, that's an instant German win.

That little detail, paired with masterful placement of the AT weapons and machine guns made the plan rather tricky to execute. A better bet might have been to line the tanks up behind the wall (roughly 20F6-20J8) and try to destroy the AT guns by direct fire. Being HD would have negated a little over half the hits and hopefully bought time for my guns to bear (Red TH plus shooting at emplaced small target guns with fanatic crews might have taken a while).

Casualties mounted, both among my tanks and my leaders-- by the time the game ended, I had only one leader left unwounded. This further slowed me down and turned MC failures into mission kills of my infantry.

In the end though, I think this one came down to CC, as games often do. If the fighting in and around 20C7 had ended in any way other than an all out German victory, I'd have stood a much better chance in the final assault, as I'd have been able to concentrate my forces on the bunker on the top of the hill instead of having to divert to hit German spoiler forces.

Thanks to @The Purist for a fantastic game!


Geoff loves attacking hills! :giggle:
You have a sick sense of humor. :p I can only assume you're referring to my even more ill-fated attack on Hellzapoppin' Ridge a few years back.
 

Eagle4ty

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Canicatti is a fascinating scenario, and was very much a learning experience for me.

My plan going in was to push the armor forward hard and fast, clear the AT guns' firing arcs, and try to put tanks between the German infantry screen and the hill to prevent their withdrawal to a second defensive line. Then, roll up the infantry screen and storm the hill itself.

The good news: Lots of tanks.
The bad news: If 5 are killed, recalled, or immobilized, that's an instant German win.

That little detail, paired with masterful placement of the AT weapons and machine guns made the plan rather tricky to execute. A better bet might have been to line the tanks up behind the wall (roughly 20F6-20J8) and try to destroy the AT guns by direct fire. Being HD would have negated a little over half the hits and hopefully bought time for my guns to bear (Red TH plus shooting at emplaced small target guns with fanatic crews might have taken a while).

Casualties mounted, both among my tanks and my leaders-- by the time the game ended, I had only one leader left unwounded. This further slowed me down and turned MC failures into mission kills of my infantry.

In the end though, I think this one came down to CC, as games often do. If the fighting in and around 20C7 had ended in any way other than an all out German victory, I'd have stood a much better chance in the final assault, as I'd have been able to concentrate my forces on the bunker on the top of the hill instead of having to divert to hit German spoiler forces.

Thanks to @The Purist for a fantastic game!




You have a sick sense of humor. :p I can only assume you're referring to my even more ill-fated attack on Hellzapoppin' Ridge a few years back.
Can't wait for this C#$&! to get over with. We're definitely going to have to get together again one of these days. (believe it or not I miss you guys. Hey, I'm an old retired geezer, I get lonely):)
 
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