Orerekya Breakout: No Three.

[Tim Niesen]

When we suspended the game last week, Don and I were perplexed about having found no AT guns. Don though that the inexperienced Col. Smith had missed a shot on the left side of the board because that he had not understood that Orchards were hindrances rather than blocking LOS. Therefore we allowed Col. Smith to shot his AT guns and he missed both shots against the Stuart. However, we had moved a second tank into the heretofore unseen AT guns LOS, and Col. Smith simply turned his gun and drilled that tank at a two hex range. We also allowed Col. Smith to rearrange other units on his far right (our far left.) We want this game to go into the TM phase on our third try.

 

[Tim Niesen]

On our extreme left our big advancing fire shot of 24 plus 2 broke one 347 and another 347 went to a 226 by a critical morale check roll of a 12. The Rumanian 247 in the other foxhole pinned, and a 527 advanced for Close combat. However, the 527 was half-squaded to 227, and the units remained in Mellee. By the way, Don, my imaginary ally, corrected me, telling me to state that his game room is not an attic, but rather a true third floor, There is in fact an attic above the third floor that I was unaware of, and that space is used for the air-conditioning unit. I remain glum over my being taken to the wood shed. Tim

 

[Tim Niesen]

Turn two started well for the Rumanians as Col. Smith turned his AT on the nearby Stuart killing it. Also the 628 combat engineer nearby blocking the retreat of the Rumanian squads broke under a one morale check from the 8-1 Rumanian leader and a 347 with a 247 holding a MMG. Col. Smith also had two Rumanian 347s, one Adjacent, and another two hexes away from a Stuart tank. One of the 347 assaulted moved into the same hex Adjacent to the Soviet Stuart tank. The in motion tank fired its 37LL, hitting the squad but failed to get even a moral check on the advancing 347. Another 347 some hexes away CX into another Adjacent hex to the Stuart. The Stuart then defensive fired a 12 +2 MG fire into the stack of two 347s, breaking both of them. On another front two 37Ls which had been in an ambush position near the road through the woods ran away from the growing Blaze nearby. They both moved through the woods away from the action. The nearby infantry in the woods formed a strong line with MGs nearby to cover their retreat. The climax of the turn saw the CX 347 advance into Close Combat with the Soviet Stuart and kill the in motion tank with a roll of snake eyes! Tim

 

[Tim Niesen]

Turn Three started badly for the Soviets, for neither of their two aircraft purchases appeared. On our extreme left side in the woods, Don rushed the Rumanian line with its MGs and successfully blew smoke with his combat engineers. The Rumanians waited for defense fire. On our extreme right in the wooded hill, Don discovered that not all of Col. Smith stacks were dummies. Two combat engineers with our 9-1 leader and a FT rushed backward from our forward position and attacked the Rumanians on the edge of the wooded hill. Likewise our units coming up the wooded hill likewise rushed the other Rumanian units there. Don was determined to occupy the factory and removed the Stuart from the stream from O16, heading toward the factory. Boom, the 81 MM mortar his the tank with snake eyes. A critical hit immobilized the tank, but the crew survived, and bailed out of the tank. Col. Smith did not shoot the second mortar, vowing to capture the tank with a retreating infantry unit. Tim

 

[Tim Niesen]

The climax of the day came after I left for the bus stop. Poor Uncle Bill's heretofore great luck that turn ran out. An Don rolled an equally wicked set of dice. Col. Smith rolled ten consecutive dice of 10s and 11s!!! Never will I again think my casino level dice roll low! Praise the dice guy from Canada. Don rolled about a half a dozen dice too. All five or less and mostly 3s. He also did not restrain his heretofore silent FTs. He wanted to kill the stubborn 7-0 and 247 in the woods on turn two, but I restrained him, telling him that it could cause a fire in our path and might lose the FT. All three Rumanian positions collapsed completely. All dead or broken! Turn four will see our engineers catch the retreating AT guns in the woods. Only his airplanes could possibly save them! And then they would not be killing our three remaining Stuarts. The end until next week. Tim

 

[Tim Niesen]

Addendum: Only seven unbroken Rumanian units left on board at this point, excluding Gun crews. Not sure if this includes the spotter in the church or not. Tim

 

[Tim Niesen]

I advised mercy, letting Col. Bill and Steve resign to fight another day, but the cold and bloodthirsty doctor wants the thrill of using flamethrowers on the poor crews of the two fleeing AT guns. At least we will get to the fourth turn for the first time. Tim

 

[Tim Niesen]

Steve replaced Col. Uncle Bill Smith. Then end of Soviet turn three saw almost nothing happen except the advance phase. The melee continued without results. Steve started his prep fire with an attack with a Rumanian HMG upon an 8-1 leader and a 628 with a FT. Steve rolls a 3. K2 result. 628 halved. Leader broke. Next roll 5. 328 breaks on an 11. Leader passes. For some reason, Steve decides to continue firing the HMG at the Adjacent melee. No effect there. The Rumanian retreated back in the center woods, withdrawing to the next woods line. More happened in the Rally phase. I rolled a 12 on the MC on the broken 8-1. And Steve rolled 12 twice on squads. This ended turn three. Tim

 

[jrv]

Steve started his prep fire with an attack with a Rumanian HMG upon an 8-1 leader and a 628 with a FT. Steve rolls a 3. K2 result. 628 halved. Leader broke.

If I understand this correctly, the attack was six FP with a zero DRM vs. the leader, which would make the attack at a -1 DRM vs. the squad with FT. The results would be 1KIA for the squad and K/2 for the leader. Unless there was a +1 DRM somewhere else, in which case the results would be K/2 for the squad and 2MC for the leader.

JR

 

[Tim Niesen]

JR, The units were in the woods. Tim

 

[jrv]

JR, The units were in the woods.

Sorry. It's hard to tell when you are just clipping what you mean.

JR

 

[Tim Niesen]

Its okay. I should be more specific. If the good doctor could only send photos. My teck skills are limited. Tim

 

[Tim Niesen]

Yesterday's continuation of the campaign was interesting but my very bad die rolling helped our opponent Steve. On the start of turn four our prep fire was not successful on the right flank, but Don did break the Rumanian HMG holding up the advance there. The battle is divided into two parts by two blazes separated by a row of shellholes and wire in the shallow stream. More later. Tim

 

[Tim Niesen]

I should have stated that Don broke the Rumanian HMG on his left flank prep fire. I am controlling the Soviet assault on the right flank, although we extensively plan our moves between Thursday game days. Col. 'Uncle Bill Smith has disappeared, perhaps because when I bought a new phone I lost his number. Tim

 

[Tim Niesen]

Don tied but failed pull off a flanking attack on the line of Rumanian squads and two 37L AT in the woods on the far left. None of his 628 engineers could generate smoke, and a critical times two 628 units pinned, the first on a roll of six on a smoke roll and the second on a morale check. The attack on the right side of the left woods went better as Don's prep fire had broken the Rumanian squad with a HMG defending the 37L AT gun. The crew of one of the 37L AT guns was lost to a 527 in close combat. The Rumanian strength on the left side is now reduced to two good order 347s and a 37L AT along with two good leaders and a LMG. They wisely retreated on their half of turn four.
The Soviet attack on the wooded hill on the extreme right flank on turn four went well, although one 628 and an 8-0 entered an HIP minefield of four where the 4 plus one attack broke a 628 on its way out. The 8-0 decided to remain and rally the 628 in the mine field. Other Soviet 527s attacked two Rumanian 247 half squads, breaking one of them, which subsequently was killed routing into its own minefield. Two of units in the wooded hill went into woods bordering on the right center, reinforcing a broken 628 which had failed to rally for three straight rally phases. I unwisely moved a Stuart tank into the LOS of two of the 81 MM Rumanian mortars which hit the tank twice, but failed to kill the tank, which moved to hide out of LOS behind a woods hex. All three Soviet pep fires on the Rumanian units in the center failed, as did the attacks of the two fighters and two fighter bombers. The Rumanians will get two fighters on their half of turn five. And Soviet turn saw the charge of the three 527s and a 227 towards the wooded center who had been held back by the buildings in the center. The Soviets lost a 127 crew which had stripped off a LMG off one of the dead Stuart tanks.

 

[jrv]

[at] critical times two 628 units pinned, the first on a roll of six on a smoke roll

Rolling an original 6 does not Pin a unit placing SMOKE grenades. It ends the unit's MPh, and more importantly does not place any SMOKE, but the unit is not Pinned.

JR

 

[Tim Niesen]

Okay, Thank, JR. I must have been thinking of a PF. I never have used engineers often until this campaign game. That affected it's advancing fire strength. Good to know. Don is learning too, losing the side effects of having played Squad Leader. Steve also suffers from this affliction. Which I seldom played. Tim

 

[Tim Niesen]

Well, the morning started off well. Col. Smith unexpectedly call me before I left for the bus. First time that I had heard from him in about a month. All of us had lost his number. My bus was late due to construction going on in the Borough of Manheim, and when I Don and Uncle Bill had already started. Don' s rolling was hot, but so we're those of his opponent. A KIA on snake-eyes killed a Rumanian 247 holding a MMG. The Stuart tank shot at a stack of Rumanian, causing a morale check on a 247. Bill rolls snakes eyes, and a perfect 3 on the HOB roll. Yielding a hero and a fanatic 247. The Stuart 37LL continued to shot at the Rumanian HMG for the sixth or seventh time with no effect again. Don and I had made a mistake concerning the air rules, and we had not engaged the two Axis fighter planes in the prior close combat phase of turn four. Nonetheless, Bill decides to save his two fighters to attack our fighter bombers, forcing them to jettison their bombs.

 

[Tim Niesen]

I start my ill-fated attack on the right center, where the bulk of the remaining Rumanian forces defending a single 37L AT Gun. I decide to not to directly charge the isolated AT Gun, but use the advance phase to move into the woods around the gun. Mistake. Don had advised against any aggressive action in this area because they were almost surrounded, and they were likely to be gone because of that in the session break.

 

[Tim Niesen]

Don begins a very aggressive and successful attack on the far left. He breaks all the enemy units in the area except one 137 half squad. He uses two DC in the attack. He wounds an 8-0 leader and breaks a 9-1. The AT gun crew routs as well. If the game lasts until turn 6 these units are toast. Steve breaks one 527 and reduces another to a broken 426.