They Shall Not Pass - CASLO 3

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In the third ‘Valour at Casa Berardi’ scenario, the Canadians are on the defensive; they only have three squads & three tanks to defend an area southeast of the crossroads, including the Casa Berardi stone building. The Germans have four attack groups, entering one at a time, over the first four turns, from random directions: north, east or south.

Pre-Game –
The Canadians roll the minimum number of concealment counters, only 4; two of which will be 5/8” counters to become a 4th tank. Canadian set up will have one AFV sitting on the hillside ‘corner’ to cover both the south & east; the other tanks, one will be covering the north, and the other sits in the west on the central road facing east (the dummy tank will be in the east). The artillery spotter (Forward Observation Officer, 8-0) & a squad will be in Casa Berardi (1st level); the 9-2 + LMG squad covering the eastern road; the PIAT ½ squad in the centre & a last ½ squad in the M10 wooden house. The Allied strategy is to collapse the northern & eastern defence into the southern area and hold on. No Canadian AFV starts bogged down (dice roll at start) & the southern ‘hillside corner’ Sherman is Hull Down on 2 hexsides.

 

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Game Turn 1 –
Rally sees the Canadian F.O.O. fail to make radio contact. No PrepFire. In Movement, the German panzers enter on the southern edge: the first PzIVH enters in the middle, crosses the gully & stops; the 2nd enters to their right & stops in the first hex entered; the 3rd tank enters play to the left (southwest), enters the gully and stays in it (in motion). The Sherman on the hillside corner changes CA & fires on the right-hand (eastern) panzer for no hit (-1 acquisition, concealment lost). In Advancing Fire, the middle & right-hand panzers both fire at the revealed Sherman (not HD to the middle panzer), they both acquire the Canadian tank. No Rout, Advance sees the two firing PzIVH’s go CE.

In the Canadian turn, the F.O.O.’s radio malfunctions. In PrepFire, the hillside Sherman fires at the acquired PzIVH on the German right, hits it in the hull & destroys it (no crew survival); the AA & coaxial MG fire 6(+2) at the centre panzer for a 1MC that they fail & becomes stunned. In Movement, the dummy unit adjacent to Casa Berardi moves north through the vineyards, while the PIAT ½ squad moves south towards Casa Berardi & the panzers. The 8-0 F.O.O. takes his broken radio downstairs in the Casa Berardi stone building. Two concealed Shermans move, one to cover the southern hill edge from behind the hedgeline, while the dummy tank heads west to ‘cover’ the paved road. No DefFire, No Rout. In Advance, the two moving concealed infantry units meet in the same hex.

 

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Game Turn 2 –
Not a good start for the Canadians: the F.O.O. kills the radio set on the repair roll; no 88mm Arty support! The MMG, 2 halfsquads + 7-0 German reinforcement group also arrives on the southern edge this turn. In PrepFire, the BU (+1) PzIVH fires at the non-HD aspect of the hillside Sherman, hits it in the side of the hull & destroys it (no crew survival). In Movement, the NCO leads the MMG troops straight into the brush/gully hexes. The panzer in the gully moves out of it, stops & fires at the concealed Canadians in Casa Berardi (level 1, -1 acquired placed). No DefFire, No Advancing Fire, No Rout. Advance Phase sees the German infantry stack moving out of the gully into the shellholes under the +1 panzer. Both panzers go CE (but vehicle ‘A’ doesn’t reveal its 9-1 leader).

In the Canadian turn, the German ½ squads recombine under leader direction under the panzer’s protection. No PrepFire. In Movement, the concealed squad in level 1 of Casa Berardi AM’s downstairs; the concealed PIAT ½ squad moves southwest toward the stone rubble hex; the dummy infantry unit moves northeast into a bombed out olive grove adjacent to the paved road; the concealed Sherman in the northern stone rubble declares a CA change to the northwest. In DefFire, the left-hand panzer fires at the concealed Casa Berardi squad (revealing its 9-1 AL), just missing the TH roll (-2 acquired). The German paratrooper squad assembles their MMG. No Advancing Fire, No Rout. In Advance, the PIAT ½ squad enter the stone rubble (two hexes from the left-hand panzer). The Casa Berardi squad moves into the adjacent vineyard, leaving the concealed (radioless) 8-0 to defend the building. The dummy unit moves into a shellholed vineyard still adjacent to the paved road.

 

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Game Turn 3 –
The four para squads with LMG & 9-1 will enter on the east edge this turn. In PrepFire, the left PzIVH fires at the acquired Casa Berardi unit & misses with both MA & MGs; the other panzer swivels its turret & fires at the stone rubble Canadians & misses as well. In Movement, the southern infantry stack moves (one at a time) to the bombed out olive grove underneath Casa Berardi. In the east, three squads + leader move onboard via the X2 road: 1½ squads CX up the road; 1½ squads + LMG & leader veer right off the road; and a lone squad sprints from X8 through open ground & hedges, heading toward the vineyards. The only DefFire is a PIAT shot from the rubble targeting the left-hand panzer: a hit & kill on the armour leader’s vehicle, but the crew manage to bail out. No Advancing Fire. In Rout, the concealed Canadian leader in Casa Berardi decides to ‘tough it out’ rather than self break (if attacked in CC, he’ll hope for ambush & withdrawal). In Advance, the German crew will move toward Casa Berardi, while the 7-0 + MMG squad will CX into CC with the concealed Canadian unit in Casa Berardi. The CX para squad on its own will enter the vineyards, while the eastern units move onto the hillside [removing the Canadian 5/8” dummy on the paved road in the west], leaving one squad retaining concealment in a vineyard out of Canadian LOS. In Close Combat, no ambush in Casa Berardi, the German CX units attack the concealed NCO at 3-1 (+1) and kill him.

In the Canadian turn, no Rally. In PrepFire, the PIAT ½ squad fires at the stack in the Casa Berardi house two hexes away & just misses them. In Movement, the dummy stack adjacent to the road AM’s towards the eastern stone building through a vineyard, drawing fire from the newly arrived Germans on the hillcrest. In DefFire, the last PzIVH fires area fire at the PIAT team in the rubble, hits but has no effect (-2 acquisition). The German MMG squad opens up on the adjacent concealed Canadian squad with 8(+2) for no result. No Advancing Fire, No Rout. In Advance, the eastern dummy unit occupies the hillcrest stone building; the concealed squad adjacent to Casa Berardi moves one hex away into another vineyard; & the PIAT ½ squad moves off the hillside into a ground level vineyard.

 

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Game Turn 4 –
The last German reinforcement group will come on the north edge with 3 squads, a PanzerSchrek & 8-0 leader. In PrepFire, the German MMG stack in Casa Berardi fire 4(+1) at the concealed vineyard squad for no effect; the RoF 2(+1) shot is also a miss. In Movement, the Germans will start in the east with a ½ squad ‘bumping’ the concealed unit in the hillside stone house, & removing the dummies & continuing into the vineyard. The squad beneath the hill will enter the stone building, and the leader led stack will jump the hedge into the level 1 bombed out olive grove. On the northside, a CX ½ squad enters play on the F4 shellhole hex and reveals the Sherman on the southern hedgeline, but the next open ground hex they enter draws bow MG fire from the Sherman in the rubble (with no effect). The third hex entered draws coaxial MG fire from the spinning turret on the newly revealed hedgeline Sherman with 4(+1) & the ½ squad passes the resulting PTC; the plucky Germans finish their move adjacent to the Sherman in the rubble. A full squad follows a similar path, but avoids ResidualFire hexes. The other entering ½ squad, squad with Psk and leader all move individually along the northern hedgeline (the Psk team is fired on by the southern Sherman’s MA and is acquired). In the south, the last PzIVH goes BU and moves uphill to the bombed out olive grove adjacent to Casa Berardi; the vehicle crew enters Casa Berardi; last to move is the para squad through the southeastern vineyards. No more DefFire, one Advancing Fire shot from the panzer misses the concealed Canadian squad in the vineyard (-1 area acquisition). No Rout. In Advance, the eastern units all move up either side of the paved road; the new northern units move to assault the Sherman, including a CX ½ squad that fails its PAATC; and the southern units prepare to attack the two concealed Canadian units, whilst protecting their southern flank from the Canadian PIAT team (PzIVH goes CE).

In the Canadian turn, no Rally activities, no PrepFire. In Movement, the northern Sherman in the rubble starts up & the Psk team 2 hexes away fires, hits & destroys the vehicle (no survivors). The eastern concealed Canadian stack AM’s into the roadside stone rubble. A concealed squad AM’s into a shellholed vineyard. The last Sherman starts up & uses the wooden rubble hex to shield its move towards the northern German units. Last to move is the PIAT ½ squad on a suicide mission to get adjacent to the PzIVH’s rear: the German MMG team in Casa Berardi fires 8(-1) for a 2MC that breaks them; RoF shot has no effect. In other DefFire, the other southern infantry units, and the panzer, fire at the concealed Canadians, with a PTC stripping concealment from the squad. In Advancing Fire, the newly uncovered Canadian squad fires back for no result, & the Sherman’s MA acquires the CX para squad. In Rout, the PIAT team falls back. In Advance, the Sherman goes CE, the acquired squad enters a debris hex & a 9-2 LMG squad stack enters the shellholed road.

 

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Game Turn 5 –

With four turns to go, the Canadians are in bad shape, with only 3 squad equivalents & a tank facing all of the German para infantry & their panzer, surrounding them on three sides. In rally, the PIAT teams DM is removed. No PrepFire. In Movement, the vehicle crew AM’s into the Canadian occupied wooden house, but they are returned to the shellhole hex after revealing the ½ squad, no DFF elicited. A vineyard squad runs through the vines toward the central (O7) wooden rubble, drawing fire from the debris squad of 4(-1) for a NMC that they pass, continuing to the P8 vineyard road. The panzer moves through a vineyard (passes a bog check) & continues down the unsealed road. The last southern unit AM’s from the Casa Berardi house into the vineyards. On the east road, the squad + ½ squad AM into cover but the Canadian LMG squad CR’s & breaks a para squad with a 6(0) shot under the
9-2’s direction. The other 1½ squads move up the north side of the paved road. In the north, the CX squad + ½ squad move away from the Sherman. The 8-0 led Psk squad charges through the hedgelined open ground to the vineyards to join the eastern LMG squad + 9-1; a ½ squad follows up as the last unit to move. In DefFire, the Canadian ½ squad fires PointBlank at the crew for no effect; the Sherman fires at the acquired para squad, hits with a 2MC that breaks them; the 8(+2) MG follow up attack is an ignored PTC. In Advancing Fire, the Panzer acquires the squad in the debris hex. In Rout, the broken German ½ squad retreats to the eastern stone building; the broken squad heads toward the central stone house but spots the Canadian infantry & has to run towards the leaders in the vineyard. In Advance, all German units head toward the middle; the crew enters CC with the wooden house ½ squad; and a para squad gets between the two central Canadian units by entering the wooden rubble hex. In Close Combat, the German crew gains ambush & attacks unsuccessfully, but the Canadians defend valiantly and kill the German crew.

In the Canadian turn, the PIAT ½ squad fails to self-rally; the German squad in the northern vineyard also fails to rally under the 8-0 NCO. In PrepFire, the 9-2 led LMG squad PB fires 12(+1) at the adjacent LMG squad in the stone building for a 1MC that the para squad just fails. In Movement, the ½ squad in the wooden house & squad in the debris hex both skulk one hex to avoid adjacent DefFire shots. The last Sherman starts up in the west & moves to flank the northern German infantry: in its start up hex it takes a round from the PzIVH, firing through four hexes of debris & vineyards with a +1 stun marker, and the Canadian tank is knocked out along with its crew (cold Canadian sniper). DefFire consists of a 1½ squad FG that hits the 9-2 LMG squad with 12(+1) for a NMC that the officer & squad both fail (they will surrender to a para ½ squad in the Rout Phase). An 8(+2) shot from the MMG squad at the last good order full Canadian squad yields a 1MC that they fail as well, leaving only one G.O. Canadian ½ squad on the field! No Advancing Fire (no targets). In Rout, the surrounded Canadians surrender; the squad retreats to the ½ squads’ hex to the west. The broken German squad stays in the stone building. In Advance, the Canadian ½ squad reoccupies the wooden house with a stiff upper lip.

 

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Game Turn 6 –

With the battlefield landscape dramatically altered, the Germans switch to mop up the Canadians. A para squad rallies under the 8-0 in the vineyard. In PrepFire, the MMG team fires 20(+2) at the Canadian ½ squad for a NMC that they pass. In Movement, all units converge on the last 3 Canadian units (2 being broken). The panzer enters the paved road & moves west (staying in motion). DefFire is the one shot against the MMG stack for no effect. No Advancing Fire against +2 terrain. In Rout, the Canadian ½ squad enters the stone rubble. In Advance, the MMG team enters into CC against the plucky Canadian ½ squad; all other German units move up to sweep the southwestern area. In CC: no ambush, the German 3-1 attack kills the Canadians for no harm to themselves.

In the Canadian turn, the PIAT ½ squad fails to self-rally & with only 2 broken units left (without a leader), the Canadians concede defeat.

Post-Game -
With the defence shattered in the second half of the 5th Turn, the Canadians couldn’t hold back the para onslaught without heavy support (tanks or Artillery) or a worthy leader. Once again, a good MA shot & a couple of poor morale rolls leave the small defending force lacking depth to carry on; another early win to the attacking side in this congested terrain.