I played the German Fallshirmjaegers in Hill 107 (OM-3) from Heat of Battle’s Kreta: Operation Merkur. The Germans enter the battle in 12 gliders and must attack a large hill in the center of the map. To gain the victory, the German must capture 18 level three hill hexes, one of which must be hex O31 (the “Mandatory Victory Hex”).
Based on the historical notes to the scenario, New Zealand platoons were positioned at different locations on the large hill and were assigned operational areas. As a result of this historical information, two of the NZ platoons are positioned on different areas of the large hill and once placed, they are placed on No Move counters. The New Zealanders cannot move or advanced during turns 1 or 2. This creates two obvious disadvantages for the New Zealanders; their force is not concentrated and they cannot redeploy to meet the threat. After turn 3 the New Zealanders can come out of No Move status but as a consequence reduce the number of level 3 hill hexes the German must take by 3 for each New Zealand MMC that moves). Also, if any German unit comes within two hexes of a New Zealand unit the New Zealanders are released from No Move without affecting the VC.
I was a little apprehensive about the glider landing because the last scenario I played with gliders was from Pegasus Bridge and it was a total disaster; I killed Major Howard and the chaps riding in his glider when I risked an extremely close landing to the bridge
(I know, it was stupid).
Given my prior history with glider landings, I wanted to play it safe with the landing, because I hate losing quality troops before the battle even begins. As a result, I chose what I believed to be a relatively safe area to land (hexrows L, M, N and O in hexes < 27), and I wanted to land the paratroopers in one body rather than spreading them out all over the battlefield. There are other areas on the map where safe landings can probably be made by a single glider or even small groups of gliders, but I thought the area I selected appeared to be the safest area to land the entire force in one body. I wanted to keep the Fallshirmjaegers together in one large group rather than dropping them in smaller groups all over the map, because I think scattering the Fallshirmjaegers all over the map would dilute the British disadvantage of being spread out. In other words, if I keep the Fallshirmjaegers concentrated in one large group they can overcome the one or two small pockets of British troops they have to face to reach the victory area (on the other hand, if I scattered the paratroopers I would be facing all of the British units in separate little battles which I could easily lose and then not have enough strength to take the hill).
The landing went extremely well. One of the gliders took some damage from AA fire on the way in and another was damaged on landing that resulted in a wounded leader and a casualty reduced squad (yep, I yahtzeed the random selection roll :OHNO. In turn two, the 81mm mortar threw two Smoke rounds on hexes O26 and O27 (I wanted to avoid fire from some New Zealanders units in P27 (ultimately, they turned out to be dummies). I tried to get a third Smoke round in hex N27 but depleted (I really hate depleting important ammo like Smoke only to learn I was protecting myself from a dummie stack). Under cover of the Smoke and all of the olive groves on the Eastern side of the hill I was able to get almost all the fallshirmjaegers to the level 2 hill hexes in and around hex M29 by the end of the advanced phase. There were real units on level three hill hexes that could fire on the paratroopers as they moved toward the hill but the olive groves provided enough hinderances to allow the Germans to get there safely.
Turns 3 through five were very tough on the fallshirmjaegers. I was either assault moving plus advancing or Prep Firing plus advancing to gain level three hill hexes in and around hex O29. The fallshirmjaegers do have excellent infantry smoke (exponent 4 by SSR) so that was helpful, but the British infantry fire from N32 and M33was very effective (N32 contained two elite squads, two LMGs and the 9-2 leader in a Foxhole; 12 FP directed by that 9-2 was brutal). Moreover, a 76 was located in each of hexes N31 and H31; they were devastating. It was not uncommon for a 76 to get a hit with rate, break a squad or more and then shoot again at another hex. On the other hand, the fallshirmjaeger’s return fire was very ineffective and they were not passing any MCs even with their 8 morale. The fallshirmjaegers were able to slowly gain ground but more often than not they would be kicked back off the hexes they entered and have to route back to a leader I positioned in hex N26. I should also mention there is dust for the first couple of turns in the scenario which lessened the viciousness of the New Zealanders fire; without the dust I'm not sure the fallshirmjaegers would have had a chance.
The things that finally loosened up the New Zealand defense were the recoilless rifle and the 81mm Mortar. Both were assembled and in action on turn five in hex O28. They withstood the British fire and were able to return fire during turns six and seven. The RCL broke the crew manning the gun in hex H31and wounded the 9-2 leader in hex N33. After being pretty hot during turns three through five, the lethality of the British fire cooled off and the fallshirmjaegers passed a few morale checks. Eventually, four squads and two leaders were able to work their way around behind hex P30 where they couldn’t be fired on by the gun in hex N31 or the New Zealand infantry. Eventually, fallshirmjaeger infantry fire broke the gun crew manning the 76 in hex N31 and a squad was able to advance into the Mandatory Victory Hex.
In the New Zealander’s last turn (bottom of turn 7) they either needed to recapture the Mandatory Victory Hex or retake six level 3 hill hexes from the Germans. It was a tall order in either case, but it seemed more probable the New Zealanders could retake the Mandatory Victory Hex. The New Zealanders suddenly forgot hot to fire their weapons, however, so none of the German units waiting for the New Zealanders were pinned or broken by their Prep Fire. As a result the fallshirmjaegers knocked out the New Zealanders who made a desperate charge for the Mandatory Victory Hex.
Scenario Comments: Both my opponent and I enjoyed playing this scenario because it was "tense" and the outcome was unknown until the end of turn 7; either side could have won. I wonder, however, if the thing to do for the New Zealanders is to just release a bunch of squads from No Move status after turn 2, which reduces the overall level 3 hill hexes the Germans need to take, and run up and defend the Mandatory Victory Hex on level three. It seems to me if the Germans are able to control the Mandatory Victory Hex, they are going to almost naturally get 17 other hexes on level three simply because of the ground needed to take to properly assault across the top of the hill and move onto the Mandatory Victory Hex (assuming the Germans spread out and don’t stack up where one well placed 76 round can take out 3 squads and a good leader with one shot). In our playing it was never really a question of whether the Germans could get enough level three hill hexes; the fight was all about the Mandatory Victory Hex. So it may be if the New Zealanders move out of No Move status they aren’t really giving up anything anyway because they need to protect the Mandatory Victory Hex at all costs and the more squads they send up to level three the better. If the New Zealanders do that they could put up a very tough defense on top of the hill (especially when you consider the New Zealanders have just as many squads as the Germans plus two Guns). Just a thought . . .
Given there aren’t any vehicles in this scenario and the British are subject to No Move, some people may get bored playing this scenario, especially if they play the New Zealanders. The Germans are required to move, unless of course they try to land right on top of the level 3 hill (who knows, there are actually some pretty good landing spots and the 76s are required to be in AA mode until turn 3, so the Germans might be able to get away with a daring landing directly on the level 3).
I think there is a lot of replayability in the scenario because there a nearly an endless number of ways the Germans can choose to land and attack the hill.
General Comments Regarding the Pack: The map is absolutely beautiful! I see why some people are concerned about the longevity of the map but it is beautiful to look at, and having finally played on it, I think it is a great map to play on as well. The pack provides a lot of scenarios (17), which I like, but I only wish more were played on the historical map (7 of the scenarios are on the historical map. My personal preference is to play on historical maps but I understand the historical limitations). The scenarios provide a broad array of engagements; short, long, small, large, night etc. Simply based on the historical context, however, there aren’t any scenarios with lots of AFVs, although there are two scenarios where the British have a couple Matildas on hand (there are also a couple scenarios with carriers and one scenario in which the Germans get a couple of PzIIs), but there aren’t really any armor vs. armor engagements. There aren’t a load of special rules so it’s fairly easy to get into the scenarios without requiring a significant amount of research time. I think the artwork on the counters is great; I love the color depictions. Some people don’t like the glossiness of the counters but it doesn’t bother me.
Based on the historical notes to the scenario, New Zealand platoons were positioned at different locations on the large hill and were assigned operational areas. As a result of this historical information, two of the NZ platoons are positioned on different areas of the large hill and once placed, they are placed on No Move counters. The New Zealanders cannot move or advanced during turns 1 or 2. This creates two obvious disadvantages for the New Zealanders; their force is not concentrated and they cannot redeploy to meet the threat. After turn 3 the New Zealanders can come out of No Move status but as a consequence reduce the number of level 3 hill hexes the German must take by 3 for each New Zealand MMC that moves). Also, if any German unit comes within two hexes of a New Zealand unit the New Zealanders are released from No Move without affecting the VC.
I was a little apprehensive about the glider landing because the last scenario I played with gliders was from Pegasus Bridge and it was a total disaster; I killed Major Howard and the chaps riding in his glider when I risked an extremely close landing to the bridge
(I know, it was stupid). Given my prior history with glider landings, I wanted to play it safe with the landing, because I hate losing quality troops before the battle even begins. As a result, I chose what I believed to be a relatively safe area to land (hexrows L, M, N and O in hexes < 27), and I wanted to land the paratroopers in one body rather than spreading them out all over the battlefield. There are other areas on the map where safe landings can probably be made by a single glider or even small groups of gliders, but I thought the area I selected appeared to be the safest area to land the entire force in one body. I wanted to keep the Fallshirmjaegers together in one large group rather than dropping them in smaller groups all over the map, because I think scattering the Fallshirmjaegers all over the map would dilute the British disadvantage of being spread out. In other words, if I keep the Fallshirmjaegers concentrated in one large group they can overcome the one or two small pockets of British troops they have to face to reach the victory area (on the other hand, if I scattered the paratroopers I would be facing all of the British units in separate little battles which I could easily lose and then not have enough strength to take the hill).
The landing went extremely well. One of the gliders took some damage from AA fire on the way in and another was damaged on landing that resulted in a wounded leader and a casualty reduced squad (yep, I yahtzeed the random selection roll :OHNO
. In turn two, the 81mm mortar threw two Smoke rounds on hexes O26 and O27 (I wanted to avoid fire from some New Zealanders units in P27 (ultimately, they turned out to be dummies). I tried to get a third Smoke round in hex N27 but depleted (I really hate depleting important ammo like Smoke only to learn I was protecting myself from a dummie stack). Under cover of the Smoke and all of the olive groves on the Eastern side of the hill I was able to get almost all the fallshirmjaegers to the level 2 hill hexes in and around hex M29 by the end of the advanced phase. There were real units on level three hill hexes that could fire on the paratroopers as they moved toward the hill but the olive groves provided enough hinderances to allow the Germans to get there safely.Turns 3 through five were very tough on the fallshirmjaegers. I was either assault moving plus advancing or Prep Firing plus advancing to gain level three hill hexes in and around hex O29. The fallshirmjaegers do have excellent infantry smoke (exponent 4 by SSR) so that was helpful, but the British infantry fire from N32 and M33was very effective (N32 contained two elite squads, two LMGs and the 9-2 leader in a Foxhole; 12 FP directed by that 9-2 was brutal). Moreover, a 76 was located in each of hexes N31 and H31; they were devastating. It was not uncommon for a 76 to get a hit with rate, break a squad or more and then shoot again at another hex. On the other hand, the fallshirmjaeger’s return fire was very ineffective and they were not passing any MCs even with their 8 morale. The fallshirmjaegers were able to slowly gain ground but more often than not they would be kicked back off the hexes they entered and have to route back to a leader I positioned in hex N26. I should also mention there is dust for the first couple of turns in the scenario which lessened the viciousness of the New Zealanders fire; without the dust I'm not sure the fallshirmjaegers would have had a chance.
The things that finally loosened up the New Zealand defense were the recoilless rifle and the 81mm Mortar. Both were assembled and in action on turn five in hex O28. They withstood the British fire and were able to return fire during turns six and seven. The RCL broke the crew manning the gun in hex H31and wounded the 9-2 leader in hex N33. After being pretty hot during turns three through five, the lethality of the British fire cooled off and the fallshirmjaegers passed a few morale checks. Eventually, four squads and two leaders were able to work their way around behind hex P30 where they couldn’t be fired on by the gun in hex N31 or the New Zealand infantry. Eventually, fallshirmjaeger infantry fire broke the gun crew manning the 76 in hex N31 and a squad was able to advance into the Mandatory Victory Hex.
In the New Zealander’s last turn (bottom of turn 7) they either needed to recapture the Mandatory Victory Hex or retake six level 3 hill hexes from the Germans. It was a tall order in either case, but it seemed more probable the New Zealanders could retake the Mandatory Victory Hex. The New Zealanders suddenly forgot hot to fire their weapons, however, so none of the German units waiting for the New Zealanders were pinned or broken by their Prep Fire. As a result the fallshirmjaegers knocked out the New Zealanders who made a desperate charge for the Mandatory Victory Hex.
Scenario Comments: Both my opponent and I enjoyed playing this scenario because it was "tense" and the outcome was unknown until the end of turn 7; either side could have won. I wonder, however, if the thing to do for the New Zealanders is to just release a bunch of squads from No Move status after turn 2, which reduces the overall level 3 hill hexes the Germans need to take, and run up and defend the Mandatory Victory Hex on level three. It seems to me if the Germans are able to control the Mandatory Victory Hex, they are going to almost naturally get 17 other hexes on level three simply because of the ground needed to take to properly assault across the top of the hill and move onto the Mandatory Victory Hex (assuming the Germans spread out and don’t stack up where one well placed 76 round can take out 3 squads and a good leader with one shot). In our playing it was never really a question of whether the Germans could get enough level three hill hexes; the fight was all about the Mandatory Victory Hex. So it may be if the New Zealanders move out of No Move status they aren’t really giving up anything anyway because they need to protect the Mandatory Victory Hex at all costs and the more squads they send up to level three the better. If the New Zealanders do that they could put up a very tough defense on top of the hill (especially when you consider the New Zealanders have just as many squads as the Germans plus two Guns). Just a thought . . .
Given there aren’t any vehicles in this scenario and the British are subject to No Move, some people may get bored playing this scenario, especially if they play the New Zealanders. The Germans are required to move, unless of course they try to land right on top of the level 3 hill (who knows, there are actually some pretty good landing spots and the 76s are required to be in AA mode until turn 3, so the Germans might be able to get away with a daring landing directly on the level 3).
I think there is a lot of replayability in the scenario because there a nearly an endless number of ways the Germans can choose to land and attack the hill.
General Comments Regarding the Pack: The map is absolutely beautiful! I see why some people are concerned about the longevity of the map but it is beautiful to look at, and having finally played on it, I think it is a great map to play on as well. The pack provides a lot of scenarios (17), which I like, but I only wish more were played on the historical map (7 of the scenarios are on the historical map. My personal preference is to play on historical maps but I understand the historical limitations). The scenarios provide a broad array of engagements; short, long, small, large, night etc. Simply based on the historical context, however, there aren’t any scenarios with lots of AFVs, although there are two scenarios where the British have a couple Matildas on hand (there are also a couple scenarios with carriers and one scenario in which the Germans get a couple of PzIIs), but there aren’t really any armor vs. armor engagements. There aren’t a load of special rules so it’s fairly easy to get into the scenarios without requiring a significant amount of research time. I think the artwork on the counters is great; I love the color depictions. Some people don’t like the glossiness of the counters but it doesn’t bother me.
Last edited:
