Jackpot Jones HF6

jrv

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I kept doing double-takes on this scenario because I could have sworn I had played it before. After a while I realized it was separated at birth from Bertoldo the Brave, which I had played. Or perhaps the mini-me version. I had the Germans by dr.

The Americans can rubble two hexes. My opponent chose I18 and K18. The two drifts went nowhere of consequence. The Americans can set up to two of his three M18 TDs HIP in orchard/woods and/or can enter them on turn one. Given where the M18s can HIP I would suggest rubble in K16 so the Germans can't drive up that street and are forced to go wide. The two HIP M18s were in O22 (I believe) and G27. The Americans set up their first lines in the K16 area and the D19 area, with some forces in the H21 area and some back near the victory area around K21.

Given that the K16 street wasn't blocked one of my two groups was up that, with the Panther and one Pz IV. The other major group entered on the A17 edge area. Originally I had planned to send the halftracks on a sweep around the east edge of the playing area, but then I remembered that at least one M18 would enter. I had not anticipated that a TD would be HIP in G27, but without a sweep it was really out of position. One halftrack dropped a halfsquad in G17, and the others remained in mobile reserve.

On the American first one M18 entered up the J21 street like there was no German stack in J15, i.e. CE, bold as you please. That M18 was Stunned for its saucy maneuver. The Panther, which was on the street in K15, tried the shot but did not have LOS. Instead in turn 2 it drove to J17. That gave the M18 a Motion attempt. It went into reverse Motion moving toward I21/I22. A German halftrack (with a halfsquad I was prepared to sacrifice on board) moved into bypass of I21. That would prevent the M18 from entering bypass on that hexside. Because it was still BU due to its Stun, it couldn't change CA by fire, so it had to expend at least one MP in LOS of the Panther. It did so and died. The other two M18s realized they were too far back and moved forward.

Meanwhile the German infantry and other tanks were moving forward through the L17 area and across the G21 field. They were about to begin storming "The Fort" when my opponent called the game on American turn three. I think the loss of the M18 reinforcement may have been too great a DRM for his PMC. The Germans had lost a squad and a half with one halftrack immobilized performing VBM freeze sleaze, while the Americans had lost two squads and the M18, and I think were about to lose another.

My take is that this is a good tournament-sized scenario. It has nothing that makes it much different from other Hatten scenarios, but within that context it is fine. My opponent called it early, but I was ready to make the push into the victory area. The German panzers could try for Smoke to allow the storming parties to place scaling ladders, and I think the Germans were well-positioned for a win.

JR
 
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