I played the
Avanti! scenario (FT 152) with my buddy Gerhard two days ago. I was playing the Italian/German force against his defending Soviets. I had the objective to control three buildings with Italians, while having more CVPs.
I advanced aggresively in order to take good positions before his reinfocements arrive (two MG trucks and a small infantry group). Funnily enough, during first three turns all three of my Italian leaders (9-1, 8-1, 7-0) were taken out by his sniper (the 7-0 was not eliminated but left wounded far back as sniper bait - did not help much, he repositioned in order to kill my last remaining leader, the 9-1).
So, the Soviets abandoned positions in order to withdraw to the last building behind the wall, reinforced by two BA-20 trucks. I fired at them with all I had, 3 LMGs, 1 ATR, and 2 MTRs plus one MTR I captured, while advancing with one part of my forces and trying to keep his reinforcements arriving from my right side in check. (The trucks were reduced to wrecks within 2 turns.)
Despite the valiant performance of his one 447 LMG squad, which resisted my heavy firepower for two turns, I managed to enter the building in my last turn with 2 leaderless Italian squads, as well as a German squad, hero and a 8-1 leader. He had the mentioned 447 which retreated into the building, and an 8-0. The close combat that ensued makes for a good story. Due to the 2:1 odds (my 10 FP to his 5, while I fought also with one squad with 3 FP separately, to no avail), I had a 6 or less to roll to achieve a kill in CC, luckily with the 447 being CX (a result of my clever encirclement) and my -2 total for hero and leader I needed a 9 or less. I rolled... a 5+5, casualty reduction. I rolled my eyes, feeling betrayed by the cowardly Italians! (Most of our games end with a CC in the last turn and I almost always lose them
.) But then:
For random selection, he rolled 5+5. Both the leader and the squad are causalty reduced!
The leader rolls for wounding. He rolls a 5, the leader is eliminated!
So he needs to roll for LLMC - and he rolls a 5+4! The squad is eliminated and I win!
Spectacular ending, isn't it?