PS NJ
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For the third round I was happy to play Sean Deller of NC. Sean is also an Army vet. He is an all-around cool dude. We picked this scenario, which frankly was my distant third choice as I felt it was too pro-US (it was 4-0 US in ROAR). Apparently it went 5-3 pro-axis at the tournament, so maybe it's fine. I bid US4 and Sean got an extra 447 while taking away one bazooka.
Sean had 14 defending SS squads (2 468, 11(now 12) 447) plus ten dummies, a 228/PSK, and a 75L AT gun. One 468 and the 228/PSK were HIP with a larger setup area. The 1945 PFs are everywhere with range 3 and a -1 PF check drm. The gun had setup restrictions which made only two hexes (T9, X10) viable IMO. I had 14 667/666 with four leaders with a total -4 leader DRM, three MMG to go with them, 3(now two) Baz45 (WP6), two 60 Mortars (WP7-with WP9 on the first shot), three halftracks, and four shermans with the lovely sM8s. All in a highly potent/mobile assaulting force with lots of infantry/vehicle/sw SMOKE. There is a +1 LV at all ranges turns 1+2.
To win the US needs to clear a central village, while also either clearing the X6 building OR getting an AFV/MMC across the railroad. There is ground snow so the stream is dry (infantry paying an extra +1 to enter/exit) and the marsh is open ground. Hedges are bocage, and tanks can't cross it making a good anti-AFV wall for the village. Sean set up with quite a few units south of the stream, which I assumed were a mix of 237 and dummies.
In US turn 1 my mortars placed a couple WP before running out. One mortar then started firing at the likely AT gun spot in T9, rolling a 3 to reveal it (although we forgot to include the gun's small target size). That started a five player-turn mortar gun duel in which I hit the gun at least 15 times, but never did better than pinning it. Most of my infantry pushed forward towards the central woods mass. I ran a squad and a halftrack through the central orchards/woods to end up in K3 to avoid any HIPsters and push his southern defenders to swing all the way south before going back to the village. I ran a platoon of 3 666 with the 8-0 leader along the north edge woods, planning to provide long-range fire on the woods mass while getting in position to eventually clear the X6 building.
German turn 1 Sean started to run back his units in the south.
US Turns 2 and 3 I kept pushing forward in the woods, breaking some of my units from point blank fire but also breaking some 447's with advancing fire. My troops rallied but his stayed DM. Two shermans broke their MAs, with one also getting recalled on a SAN2 sniper. Also one HT failed it's red MP startup roll to immobilize. The northern platoon pushed forward in the wood line.
The critical turn was US turn 4, the shermans both ran up to the bocage, gaining WA and firing smoke mortars into the buildings adjacent. Meanwhile the infantry pressed forward aggressively, and a HT ran a gauntlet of small arms, PF and LMG shots to DM all Sean's brokies in U1 and S2. I was surprised when Sean resigned at the end of UST4, as I expected his HIPsters to be in the T10-V10 woods and he still had half a dozen 447s in P3 area. However he put his 468 in 19M2, hoping to deny some rout paths in the central woods and had let my 666 platoon pass while holding its fire. His HIP 228/PSK was in 72Q7 out of the main fight. I do think the US firepower and smoke advantages are very challenging in the hands of an aggressive attacker. Still a was an absolute pleasure to play Sean.
Sean had 14 defending SS squads (2 468, 11(now 12) 447) plus ten dummies, a 228/PSK, and a 75L AT gun. One 468 and the 228/PSK were HIP with a larger setup area. The 1945 PFs are everywhere with range 3 and a -1 PF check drm. The gun had setup restrictions which made only two hexes (T9, X10) viable IMO. I had 14 667/666 with four leaders with a total -4 leader DRM, three MMG to go with them, 3(now two) Baz45 (WP6), two 60 Mortars (WP7-with WP9 on the first shot), three halftracks, and four shermans with the lovely sM8s. All in a highly potent/mobile assaulting force with lots of infantry/vehicle/sw SMOKE. There is a +1 LV at all ranges turns 1+2.
To win the US needs to clear a central village, while also either clearing the X6 building OR getting an AFV/MMC across the railroad. There is ground snow so the stream is dry (infantry paying an extra +1 to enter/exit) and the marsh is open ground. Hedges are bocage, and tanks can't cross it making a good anti-AFV wall for the village. Sean set up with quite a few units south of the stream, which I assumed were a mix of 237 and dummies.
In US turn 1 my mortars placed a couple WP before running out. One mortar then started firing at the likely AT gun spot in T9, rolling a 3 to reveal it (although we forgot to include the gun's small target size). That started a five player-turn mortar gun duel in which I hit the gun at least 15 times, but never did better than pinning it. Most of my infantry pushed forward towards the central woods mass. I ran a squad and a halftrack through the central orchards/woods to end up in K3 to avoid any HIPsters and push his southern defenders to swing all the way south before going back to the village. I ran a platoon of 3 666 with the 8-0 leader along the north edge woods, planning to provide long-range fire on the woods mass while getting in position to eventually clear the X6 building.
German turn 1 Sean started to run back his units in the south.
US Turns 2 and 3 I kept pushing forward in the woods, breaking some of my units from point blank fire but also breaking some 447's with advancing fire. My troops rallied but his stayed DM. Two shermans broke their MAs, with one also getting recalled on a SAN2 sniper. Also one HT failed it's red MP startup roll to immobilize. The northern platoon pushed forward in the wood line.
The critical turn was US turn 4, the shermans both ran up to the bocage, gaining WA and firing smoke mortars into the buildings adjacent. Meanwhile the infantry pressed forward aggressively, and a HT ran a gauntlet of small arms, PF and LMG shots to DM all Sean's brokies in U1 and S2. I was surprised when Sean resigned at the end of UST4, as I expected his HIPsters to be in the T10-V10 woods and he still had half a dozen 447s in P3 area. However he put his 468 in 19M2, hoping to deny some rout paths in the central woods and had let my 666 platoon pass while holding its fire. His HIP 228/PSK was in 72Q7 out of the main fight. I do think the US firepower and smoke advantages are very challenging in the hands of an aggressive attacker. Still a was an absolute pleasure to play Sean.
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