Orerekya Breakout: No Three.

[Tim Niesen]

Steve maintained phone contact for his third level off board observer and finally obtained battery access for his 105 Rumanian OBA. Our opponent now have five Black and five Red chits. Tim

 

[Tim Niesen]

This play started with defensive fire of our assorted Guns and light mortars; and although there were several hits no results were made. Enemy units remained unbroken. I had moved my 105 howitzer to fire upon a 20L AA gun closest to the Factory. Despite two of three ATT hits, the resulting 10 plus 2 were ineffectual. Tim

 

[Tim Niesen]

During this defensive fire of Rumanian turn three, all three Soviet planes were able to pass their sighting task checks, but the only significant result despite three strafing runs was one dead 247 crew of a MMG in the Factory. My DRs were almost uniformly bad. Tim

 

[Tim Niesen]

Steve had almost uniformly bad DRs today. He lost a Rumanian crew for an 81 mm mortar by rolling boxcars. He broke another 81 mortar operated by a regular 347 squad. Finally that 347 had picked up a light mortar in the same foxhole, but was broken as a result of a hit by a Soviet light mortar. This is skipping ahead to the Soviet prep fire of turn four, however. Tim

 

[Tim Niesen]

Near the Factory, Don had put several 447s with LMGs on the edge of the woods. Steve had corrected a Red Spotting round into the area. Meanwhile, Don aggressively moved one of our Stuarts Adjacent to a Rumanian MMG operated by a 247 half squad in the Factory. Likewise, Don okayed by plan to CX our forward infantry units to the wall three hexes away from the Factory. A Rumanian fire group of a MMG operated by a 247 and a 347 squad with a LMG fire at an 8-0 Soviet leader and a 527 SMG squad in the open from the first level of building hex of Q8. A 7 minus 2, and Steve breaks his MMG on an 11! All three Rumanian squads arrive at the wall. Also a 447 squad sneaking northward in the shallow stream assault moves into the single wooden building in P12. However, Steve corrects his 105 OBA but it falls upon the worst possible spot. The six hex OBA pattern includes a Soviet 527 and the Adjacent Stuart. However, there is also a Rumanian 537 with a FT there too. The 527 breaks. The tank is unscathed, but the Rumanian 537 rolls an 11 on the 3MC, breaking into two half squads. Tim

 

[Tim Niesen]

I usually write the after action soon after the game, but the threat of the game ending has affected my morale. Even if Steve cannot continue, we will try and get Uncle Bill to finish the session, which will soon end. We ended after the Soviet turn four. Tim

 

[Tim Niesen]

Very little happened in the Rumanian prep fire phase of turn four. The single remaining 81 mortar shot at a Soviet squad that had moved across the large vineyard in the right center portion of the board. No effect on the unit and the mortar lost rate of fire. The second part of the OBA did result in a Shock on the Stuart Adjacent to the Factory. The Soviet defensive fire by the two 105s and the two light mortars did nothing. However, The airpower had massive effects, Don rolling snake eyes on an attack on a 537 engineer with a FT in the Factory with his fighter. The K2 result yielded a still good order 227 engineer half squad. Steve tried to be clever and took the two 227 engineer half squads into the street protected by a Wall. Bad choice as a strafing fighter killed both of them. Steve only good luck had earlier occurred in his rally phase, when a broken 347 rolling a leader creation snake-eyes, yielding a new 7-0 leader. Tim

 

[Tim Niesen]

I did forget a good roll by Steve. His still intact 537 in the factory rolled well against an 8-0 and 527 on the wall. Poor rolls on a 2 MC caused both units to ELR and rout towards the woods to the rear. Tim

 

[Tim Niesen]

The most important roll of the day occurred when we failed to roll the dr of one needed to end this second session on the fifth turn. Soviet turn Five opened with my failure to build foxholes along the wall, which will be important if we do not rush and at least partially occupy the Factory. Once again our Guns and light mortars failed to make an impact upon the Rumanian units. I did change my target with my 105 from the 20L AA gun to the 227 engineer in the front of the Factory. Four consecutive shots of ATT upon the 20L have failed to break the crew. Tim

 

[Tim Niesen]

However, several important territorial gains were made on turn five. I occupied the stone building in T14. And my units sneaking up the shallow stream jumped into the first level of building Q in the advance phase. Steve has a Rumanian 347 squad and a 247 half squad which had a MMG, but which has now broken and gone away on a dr of 6. This Rumanian force is on the back first level of building Q and had been acting in a reverse slope type of position against my units on the wall. I have another 527 squad in the Adjacent stream hex, which will jump into the building in Soviet turn six. Tim

 

[Tim Niesen]

On Steve defensive fire he maintained his OBA by pulling another Black Chit. His chit allocation is now four Black and five Red. His attack on the tank on ineffective, but it did break the 447 under the tank. My units on the extreme right continue to build foxholes. They are eyeing their opportunity to seize the victory point building at AA8 on the possible last turn. Steve still has not revealed any of his HIP MGs. If his MG company was not depleted, there should be three HMGs and one MMG, as well as a leader left hidden. The good news is that Steve and the girlfriend have made up, and the game will not be ended after this session. Tim

 

[George Kelln]

Tim et al thank you for the AAR, very interesting - Cheers George

 

[Tim Niesen]

Thanks George. After the end of this session I will have a series of questions. I should not have relied upon my friend Don to read and interpret the campaign game rules. Too much of a burden upon him to learn ASL and read the campaign rules as well. I had lost my copy of the campaign rules. Tim

 

[Tim Niesen]

The Thursday game ended the first day of the campaign game. Steve got a new job, the training session of which begins on January 7th. Uncle Bill has agreed to continue. Despite his short term memory flaws, due to an jeep and truck accident in Vietnam in 1969, he is an excellent wargamer. (Better with miniatures than board games.) The Germans are coming on February 6th, 1943. The Soviet side has heard rumors of German tanks arriving at the front. The quality of which will revealed at the start of play.

 

[Tim Niesen]

The game started with the Rumanian turn five. Steve was late as usual, in fact, he has only be there on time once. Bill started off with the 81MM mortar, attempting to bring one of the four Russian 248 carrying HMG across the seemingly endless Vineyards. He failed in the attack. next he shot at the 628 holding the 50 light mortar in the trench on the hill. Amazingly this proved to be the turning point of the session. He maintained rate of fire three times, to no effect until the third time, when he rolled snake eyes on the IFT. The sniper roll broke the Rumanian 227 with the FT on the edge of the Factory!! The 628 was broken too, but that was of limited consequence. Tim

 

[Tim Niesen]

Steve arrived just to watch the end of his position in the Factory. His hero and engineer with FT seemed safe from harmed after the greedy but good doctor decided against the safe ATT with two acquisitions, and attempt the hit them with full effect. Don rolled a seven, but needed a six. Then swooping down from the clear skys above came a fighter for a point attack. (Don did not miss a single sighting check the entire Thursday. Just to make sure of its breaking, Don rolled the dice this attack.) And he broke the engineer with the FT, and then killed him with the second air attack. The FT was abandoned in the hex, but the lonely hero picked it up in the rally phase.

 

[Tim Niesen]

We allowed Uncle Bill to end the session on turn six, and he did so. Prior to that, Steve had successfully pulled battery access, and dropped it once again upon the tank, which killed the broken 447 underneath it after a CMC. The Stuart tank was Shocked. Meanwhile in the advance phase the Rumanians, smelling an advantage had used AM down the back of building Q. My 8+4 IFT attack did nothing. (The Soviet 447 was CX for expending 4MP by entering the lower level of building Q from the shallow stream.) We both roll for ambush, and I roll a one, ending his chance for an ambush. Then on the 1 to 2 I roll snake-eyes, and boom a leader, a 6+1 is yielded. This was to have unforseen consequences. Tim

 

[Tim Niesen]

This was the start of Soviet turn six. I had forgotten to add that the Rumanian 527 and the MMG had killed the 227 broken by the sniper in the defensive fire of Rumanian turn five. We should have fired the tank MGs and MA through the FFE2, but I failed to remember, and the captured Rumanian HMG was lost. Joint command is sometimes hard. Tim

 

[Tim Niesen]

The only Rumanian unit in the Factory was the hero with the FT. There were not that many Soviets units left on the wall. But one of them and an 8-0 leader charged the Factory. Then we finally find out where the HIP Rumanian MMGs are-in the second level of building U 5!! Both both the Rumanian HMG are ineffective. Luck was with my boys on the wall. Finally another Soviet 527 with an 8-0 leader CX toward the Factory. The 8-1 and the HMG use sustained fire to have a six minus three. He rolls a nine breaking the HMG, but still causing a 2 MC, which breaks both the unit. Finally, the hero fires the FT at a Rumanian unit across the open ground from the Factory to another part of the Factory, but without consequence. Now I urge the reluctant Don to charge out of the woods with his vaunted engineers toward the hero in the Factory with the now used FT. But this means going across open ground the heroic player pleads. You have smoke, I point out. And send those rascally Soviet 447s in first to distract his fire. This advice accomplishes the mission. An engineer 628 and a 9-1 leader get Adjacent to the hero. Meanwhile, out of the rear comes the second Stuart tank, which goes CE and risks the limited fire of a 347 unit and a LMG. The crew passes the MC crested by the 5+2 attack. No sweat. Following up is the 447 with a LMG, which makes it into building Q6 and R7. Also the brave 6+1 enters building S7 T7 without opposition. Tim

 

[Tim Niesen]

Thus ends Soviet turn six. The CC Phase Sees the 9-1 and 628 kill the hero. Steve argues that heroes are stealthy, but I dispute his assertion, telling him to show me that in the rules. The Factory is ours, and we have captured two FT! Tim