My long-time friend and ASL conspecific Dave Haasl and I have been working our way through all the scenarios in Journal 10, starting with the Grinding Mill and concluding with this one, J 160 Bienen Burnout.
BB is a late-war German vs. Canadian action which features a collection of 4-6-7s, 4-4-7s, and 5-4-8s squaring off against a large, well-equipped force of 4-5-8s who are backed by some Shermans and two Wasps. You can tell who's going to draw the bulk of German fire, should the little monsters close for a shot.
The Germans also get a Panzer IV, and two JagdPanzer IVs, plus a Field Phone with HE-only access to a battery of 80+ OBA.
The Canadian objective is to take 5 of six multi-hex stone buildings from the Germans, and do that by the end of 6.5 turns.
Per a rotation worked out when we started playing the scenarios in this Journal, I am the defender and Dave will assume the role of the attacking Canadians.
Turn 1 started with Dave attempting to Smoke German forward assets. This is a smart move on the part of the Canadians; between their mortars and their Shermans they have a wealth of SMOKE assets. Dave's dice don't seem aware of that fact, as he Depletes Smoke twice in two placement attempts. He does find WP, and places it in the hex with my 9-2 and the HMG team he's directing. Fortunately the NMC does nothing.
Dave does however manage to light up my Panzer IV on something like the first non-SMOKE shot of the game. I'd thought it'd be safe where I'd placed it, between the usual needing at least a couple of shots to get a hit and a reasonably decent chance of shrugging off the hit, if hit. Wrong. Hit, kill, burn.
I should point out that Dave doesn't miss very often, and that on this outing he was wont to roll a lot of 3s.
No matter, I have that OBA battery which is going to flummox the advancing Canadians but good. If you look at the attached imagery, you'll note the wealth of OG and Plowed Fields that the Canadians have to cover in order to get at the Germans and into Bienen. You may rest assured that my Observer is overwatching the preponderance of that terrain.
Dave's Wasps both go into action, with one of them scoring big on a 12 straight FT shot on an MG nest and getting something like a 2 MC. I counter by rolling HOB with the 8-1 leader directing the stack, who both Battle Hardens and goes Heroic as well. One of the squads breaks, but the other also rolls snakes, and BHs as well. Elsewhere, Canadian fire has broken a 7-0 leader, but has also instilled a sense of blind fury in the squad stacked with him as they roll a 9 on an HOB MC. Yes, you read that correctly, before the end of German Defensive Fire on Canadian Turn 1, I have rolled 3 HOB results, generating one Berserk squad, one Heroic BH leader, and one BH squad.
German Final Fire sees the Germans drawing a red chit for their OBA, natch. All those Canadians out in the open... But no matter, there's still Prep Fire. Meanwhile, a JagdPanzer nails a Sherman, and the HMG enveloped in WP succeeds in breaking a squad toting a PIAT, and a leader as well. One of the Wasps is tagged with a Stun, from the MMG that was part of kill-stack it shot at.
Advancing Fire brings little in addition, and the game progresses to my half of the Game Turn. All those Canadians are still either amongst trees or in the open, just begging for OBA to smite them. I'm too happy to deliver, and then...
You guessed it. Red chit. My second. No OBA for the Germans, not for the rest of the game. Sigh...
Meanwhile, the Canadians kill a squad outright when Dave rolls very low on an IFT attack, and kill another when Dave -thinking he's shooting at Dummies- scores a 3 on a 4-1 attack. Dave is right, he is shooting at Dummies, the Dummy being me for forgetting to move or attack with the 8-1/5-4-8/LMG in that hex. The squad dies and the leader breaks, and the LMG is left for some Canuck to scoop up. The Berserker -who was also holding a Light- also buys a dirt-nap courtesy of Dave and his positively-glowing dice.
I should be thankful for what HOB has given me, and I am, but I'd sure like to have gotten off a shot with my OBA. It's going to be a long scenario, without it.
BD
BB is a late-war German vs. Canadian action which features a collection of 4-6-7s, 4-4-7s, and 5-4-8s squaring off against a large, well-equipped force of 4-5-8s who are backed by some Shermans and two Wasps. You can tell who's going to draw the bulk of German fire, should the little monsters close for a shot.
The Germans also get a Panzer IV, and two JagdPanzer IVs, plus a Field Phone with HE-only access to a battery of 80+ OBA.
The Canadian objective is to take 5 of six multi-hex stone buildings from the Germans, and do that by the end of 6.5 turns.
Per a rotation worked out when we started playing the scenarios in this Journal, I am the defender and Dave will assume the role of the attacking Canadians.
Turn 1 started with Dave attempting to Smoke German forward assets. This is a smart move on the part of the Canadians; between their mortars and their Shermans they have a wealth of SMOKE assets. Dave's dice don't seem aware of that fact, as he Depletes Smoke twice in two placement attempts. He does find WP, and places it in the hex with my 9-2 and the HMG team he's directing. Fortunately the NMC does nothing.
Dave does however manage to light up my Panzer IV on something like the first non-SMOKE shot of the game. I'd thought it'd be safe where I'd placed it, between the usual needing at least a couple of shots to get a hit and a reasonably decent chance of shrugging off the hit, if hit. Wrong. Hit, kill, burn.
I should point out that Dave doesn't miss very often, and that on this outing he was wont to roll a lot of 3s.
No matter, I have that OBA battery which is going to flummox the advancing Canadians but good. If you look at the attached imagery, you'll note the wealth of OG and Plowed Fields that the Canadians have to cover in order to get at the Germans and into Bienen. You may rest assured that my Observer is overwatching the preponderance of that terrain.
Dave's Wasps both go into action, with one of them scoring big on a 12 straight FT shot on an MG nest and getting something like a 2 MC. I counter by rolling HOB with the 8-1 leader directing the stack, who both Battle Hardens and goes Heroic as well. One of the squads breaks, but the other also rolls snakes, and BHs as well. Elsewhere, Canadian fire has broken a 7-0 leader, but has also instilled a sense of blind fury in the squad stacked with him as they roll a 9 on an HOB MC. Yes, you read that correctly, before the end of German Defensive Fire on Canadian Turn 1, I have rolled 3 HOB results, generating one Berserk squad, one Heroic BH leader, and one BH squad.
German Final Fire sees the Germans drawing a red chit for their OBA, natch. All those Canadians out in the open... But no matter, there's still Prep Fire. Meanwhile, a JagdPanzer nails a Sherman, and the HMG enveloped in WP succeeds in breaking a squad toting a PIAT, and a leader as well. One of the Wasps is tagged with a Stun, from the MMG that was part of kill-stack it shot at.
Advancing Fire brings little in addition, and the game progresses to my half of the Game Turn. All those Canadians are still either amongst trees or in the open, just begging for OBA to smite them. I'm too happy to deliver, and then...
You guessed it. Red chit. My second. No OBA for the Germans, not for the rest of the game. Sigh...
Meanwhile, the Canadians kill a squad outright when Dave rolls very low on an IFT attack, and kill another when Dave -thinking he's shooting at Dummies- scores a 3 on a 4-1 attack. Dave is right, he is shooting at Dummies, the Dummy being me for forgetting to move or attack with the 8-1/5-4-8/LMG in that hex. The squad dies and the leader breaks, and the LMG is left for some Canuck to scoop up. The Berserker -who was also holding a Light- also buys a dirt-nap courtesy of Dave and his positively-glowing dice.
I should be thankful for what HOB has given me, and I am, but I'd sure like to have gotten off a shot with my OBA. It's going to be a long scenario, without it.
BD
