WO33 One-Eyed Jacques

jrv

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My opponent, who took the French, said he had a very hard time setting up the defense in this scenario from the 2020 Winter Offensive pack. I can see why. To win the Germans must either control a factory (J10, ten hexes in size) in the middle of the board (immediate win) or have more squad-equivalents in/next to a building (I4) at the far end of the board at game end, with each vehicle counting as one squad-equivalent in the second VC. The scenario is five turns long. The French would like to do four things: set up forward to cost the Germans time deploying and fighting, interdict German units that try to move the the far end of the board for the game-end VC, set up strongly in the factory to avoid the immediate VC, and reinforce the back building to make the game-end VC more difficult. That is too much to do for the force the French are given, and the French must make compromises.

The French have two groups: one with nine squads, a 75mm ART, a 25mm ATG and a 37* INF, HMG, MMG, lots of "?" and two fortified buildings set up in the middle of the board, and one with two green squads, a 6+1 and a field phone controlling a 120mm OBA that can only use harrassing fire. The second group set up in the back VC building and can't leave it. The field phone may not set up HIP. The French also have two roadblocks that can set up nearly anywhere. The Germans have fourteen squads, half elite, a 9-2 (but only three leaders total), two MMGs and six early-war Panzers.

By SSR vehicular road rate (B3.41) is n/a. We took this to mean that the cost of entering a road hex is (generally) Open Ground cost. Most of the German vehicles are fully-tracked so one MP per hex for them (two MP for a narrow street) but for the Armored Car it costs three MP per hex (and six MP for a narrow street).

The French had set up with a number of units fairly far forward, e.g. B14, E15, I16 and K16. There were also some units in the J10 factory, and of course the units that must set up in the back I4 building. There were two stacks on the second level of the back building; one was obviously the field phone and leader, and the other was not. Although they were not revealed at start, the roadblocks were on the C13/C14 and E13/F12 hexsides. The second was a flawed choice as it allowed bypass of E12 along the E12/D12 hexside; it should have been in E13/E14 instead. The 75mm was in L11 and the 25mm was in H9. The 37 INF was in the F14 building, and the HMG was in the K13 building. The two fortified locations were J11 (an obvious choice) and M11, which was later changed by mutual agreement to L11 because otherwise the 75mm ART was set up illegally.

I entered across the entire south edge. Without knowing where the weak points in the defense are, I think the Germans have to probe to find a seam. They also have to move quickly given only five turns. When I saw the defense I half-expected the forward units to be dummies, but I was quickly disabused of this idea.

My first move was straight up the middle entering a tank and a halfsquad on I20 for armored assault. The squad in I16 opened fire immediately but without result. The halfsquad proceeded to J16 where it was broken by the MMG in J11 while the tank went to H16. A second tank and a bunch of squads followed along, three into the H17 building and three into the L16 area. The halfsquad routed into K16, which eliminated a dummy. The middle attack went strongly up both sides of the J15 street. The squad in I16 tried to leave using bypass out the back but didn't notice a LOS for an eight down one (CX, FFMO, FFNAM) and broke. The HMG (manned by a halfsquad) in K13 broke a German squad in K14. A Panzer III moved up to L13 to bring it under fire. The 75mm in L11 fired but failed to hit, and the German tank scampered to K13 bypass to VBM freeze the HMG as well as get out of LOS of the 75mm gun. This didn't work out as expected as the French 25mm was in H9, and immobilized the Panzer. Two more German squads moved up to K14 and broke the halfsquad in the AFPh, which routed away leaving a (malfunctioned) HMG.

I was concerned about the French OBA so I had the 9-2 and two squads with MMG zip forward to M15, planning to move to level one in the APh. I was again surprised to find a French squad in N14, which fired but without effect. I returned fire in the AFPh and broke it, then moved up to the second level. This kill stack spent several turns trying to have any effect on the 6+1 leader with its field phone. Six add two and six add one shots failed repeatedly. On the last turn before we ended it the 9-2 finally striped concealment with a PTC. That the 6+1 passed. If I had only known my opponent didn't know how to work OBA cards I could have avoided the whole embarrassing episode. He drew a red chit on an extra chit draw, cancelling the free black draw, then drew a red card on a primary chit draw. I don't believe there were any OBA attacks before we called it.

Two halfsquads probed up the far right, finding only dummies and capturing the broken squad from N14. They were on their way to the back building when the game ended. Two Panzers, a tank and the armored car, also ran up the right side past the factory toward the back building. The Pz IV, which put down Smoke to cover their movement, might also be able to make it to the back building.

On the left three-and-a-half squads plus two tanks found a squad-and-a-half plus the 37INF. They proceeded to dismantle much of this force with some help from units from the center. The two Panzers bypassed the ill-placed roadblock and were readying themselves for a run to the back building.

When we called this it looked as though there were going to be four and possibly five German vehicles plus two halfsquads around the back building, which against the two squads that started there would be enough for the win. The J10 factory was under threat but I don't think there was enough time to take it.

I think the French have to recognize that they need to reinforce the back building, or at least appear to. The French middle force also have a lot of dummies, and some of those could make it seem that the reinforcement is bigger than it actually is. That would force the Germans to guess whether the J10 factory is strongly defended or not. The French might even keep their reaction force in the middle between the two VC objectives (e.g. I6), and have that force move to the VC objective that seemed most threatened. I would send the 37INF back to the I4 building too to give that force some credible AT capability.

In the factory although setting up the fortified locations and the Gun on the edge might seem most obvious, the French also might consider a "reverse slope" defense with the fortified locations in, say, K11 and J10 or L10. The 75 would be firing with a net -1 TH DRM (factory TEM, point blank range) as opposed to, say, +1 from J11 to I12.

I am not to sure what the French OBA should be used for. The LOSes from the back building are fairly difficult, and much of the terrain is stone building with upper level. Eight FP up four is not that good a shot. It might be used to impede movement to the back building, but again the LOSes are very restricted.

Finally the roadblocks could close off one side as was done (or rather attempted) here, but they could also be used in back to mess up moving vehicles to the back building, e.g. G6/G7 and L2/M3. The Germans may discover them too late to be able to move those vehicles next to the back building.

The French have an opportunity here for a wily defense, and that may leave the Germans having to make a guess on which VC condition is feasible and which is not. It has the potential for being a good game of bluff and surprise.

JR
 
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jrv

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One additional comment: my opponent did not look upon this scenario with favor. Of course he had a series of bad card pulls for the OBA, but I think also he may have not quite grokked it before he set up. That may not be unusual; it's not obvious just looking at it how it will play out. The French have to be ready for the German rush into the backfield, where the Germans can win without even fighting unless the French pull some units back. If the French leave their entire force in the middle factory they can hold it without any trouble but the Germans can just slip by, leaving the French with the factory but not the win.

JR
 

JR Brackin

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I did not say that "I did not look upon this scenario with favor" - rather I felt after doing my set up that it was either going to go very well or very bad. Now I admit the dice did help it go very bad since my guns did not help much either. JR is correct that I did place one of my RBs in a bad position, that occurred because at the last minute I realized I had set up the *37 INF SW in an incorrect position. I moved it poorly and also decided that what it originally covered needed to the RB and in that I did not look close enough at the Germa options.

Still I believe that this is winnable as the French, as JR points out.
 

jrv

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I think Controlling the Factory is an almost impossible task for the German against a good setup, there are just too many Locations and not enough time.....
As long as the French don't send too many units away to the back building and/or use too many in the front and can't get them back. Although if the Germans can get some tanks inside then it might not be impossible.

JR
 

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As long as the French don't send too many units away to the back building and/or use too many in the front and can't get them back. Although if the Germans can get some tanks inside then it might not be impossible.

JR
My opponent had a very good setup, the Roadblocks channelled my tanks into the kill zones of the INF gun, the OBA, the AT and ART guns. Between them, they took out 4 or 5......

Interesting scenario, enjoyed playing it, well done Chas Argent!!
 

jrv

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My opponent had a very good setup, the Roadblocks channelled my tanks into the kill zones of the INF gun, the OBA, the AT and ART guns. Between them, they took out 4 or 5......

Interesting scenario, enjoyed playing it, well done Chas Argent!!
I am beginning to wonder if it might be hard on the Germans against a well-prepared defense. But I can't decide if the French are too stretched to hold every time. As you say, taking that factory looks tough, although if tanks and the 9-2 get inside they might be able to do it.

Another approach: some or all of the German tanks might consider cutting through the woods in A14 then up the west side. That would bypass almost any likely defense. But it also leaves a large force out of the battle until the very end of the game.

JR
 

Jacometti

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I am beginning to wonder if it might be hard on the Germans against a well-prepared defense. But I can't decide if the French are too stretched to hold every time. As you say, taking that factory looks tough, although if tanks and the 9-2 get inside they might be able to do it.

Another approach: some or all of the German tanks might consider cutting through the woods in A14 then up the west side. That would bypass almost any likely defense. But it also leaves a large force out of the battle until the very end of the game.

JR
I tried that and ran up with two tanks. Took me 3 Turns to get through, then got wallopped by the OBA. I think this is a really risky attack: the French can see what you are doing and move a few squads up to the hilltop building. Without the tanks, it is very difficult to break into the Factory at all.

Fun puzzle!
 

jrv

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I tried that and ran up with two tanks. Took me 3 Turns to get through, then got wallopped by the OBA. I think this is a really risky attack: the French can see what you are doing and move a few squads up to the hilltop building. Without the tanks, it is very difficult to break into the Factory at all.
The OBA you should be able to get rid of using the 9-2, unless you roll six FP up one attacks against six ML units like I did. The time is the problem.

The other problem for the Germans is that the back building is a level two, and the PSW 221 is open topped. Units on the second level will fire down on the PSW 221 as if it were a soft vehicle when it is adjacent. So one of the six German vehicles is very vulnerable in that position.

JR
 

Perry

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Glad y’all are enjoying this. Both sides must keep the dual VC in mind.

The AFV are vulnerable to the OBA, and the 6+1 has at least two, maybe three, Locations from which to Observe; if the 9-2 is shooting at dummies, he isn’t leading the attack.

The factory is definitely vulnerable to combined arms attack.

And I think the B3.41 NA reference means the roads exist but the 1/2 MP when CE is NA.
 

Jacometti

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Glad y’all are enjoying this. Both sides must keep the dual VC in mind.

The AFV are vulnerable to the OBA, and the 6+1 has at least two, maybe three, Locations from which to Observe; if the 9-2 is shooting at dummies, he isn’t leading the attack.

The factory is definitely vulnerable to combined arms attack.

And I think the B3.41 NA reference means the roads exist but the 1/2 MP when CE is NA.
Having played this once against a good French setup, I would certainly prefer to play the French in a tournament game. Time is very short for what the Germans are trying to do. Maybe a super aggressive approach would work best.
 

jrv

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The Observer and field phone might be set up at ground level in the back I4 building, say in hex I4 or J3. The SR might be brought down to I4 or J3, but wait until the Germans show up to bring down the FFE. It can only be harrassing fire by SSR, so vs. units in the building at ground level that's eight FP up six (the ground level is fortified plus two levels above). Five of the six German AFVs have a -1 DRM vs indirect fire and one has -2 DRM. With eight FP an effects DR of five with a -1 DRM is sufficient to have a good chance of making a vehicle not eligible for the VC. If the FFE can be called in so that three vehicles are in the blast area, in two player turns (the French have a bottom five) you would likely get somewhere on average about 1.5 vehicles either destroyed or Immobile (Immobilized or Shocked). [Note: I have not done much math here because the possible combinations are numerous.] If you then throw in the 37 INF, you might be able to get away with just two squad equivalents being sent to the back building, one full squad plus a halfsquad and the crew of the 37.

As fakery, the French could set up one dummy with three "?" and one halfsquad with two "?" plus another squad & LMG (gaining free concealment) on the three front level-two hexes in hopes of drawing the 9-2 into attacks. The extra halfsquad would remain below for undetermined duties. The SR would go into J4 at first to make the fakery seem at least possible.

JR
 
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Mister T

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It's a very good and original design. I might have a slight preference for one side, but i would enjoy playing it again with either side.
 

Doug Kirk

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Played this one today vs Wes Vaughn. I had the French. Wes did a good job early of hiding from the OBA. I eventually forced the issue and tried to place the OBA without LOS and the subsequent draw was red. Wes charged all in on the factory. I held on in a fortified location for the win. I think more aggressive play from the tanks could have won Wes the game. I also think going after the back building may be the way to go. A fun interesting puzzle for sure.
 

jrv

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I eventually forced the issue and tried to place the OBA without LOS and the subsequent draw was red.
I don't know if you considered placing the OBA so that the outer ring of the harrassing fire was on the out-of-LOS enemy. You don't have to make the extra chit draw for unknown units in the outer ring, only when they are in the inner ring or under the artillery counter. The French have a pretty good draw pile, so maybe you thought you'd just chance the direct placement. That's what my opponent did, and he drew red. Of course he doesn't have CdG II, so his French are old, worn-out and tired of endless wars.

JR
 

Peter J

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I played WO33 One-eyed Jacques recently. After reading the discussion here and on the Scenario Archive, we gave 'the balance' to the French. The Germans made a concerted push for the factory. The French OBA fell quickly and immobilised two German AFVs. Most of the German infantry were in cover and the OBA didn't worry them. The Germans pressed steadily and were able to break-in to the factory. However, the French 9-2 and squads with a HMG and an LMG were able to deal a deadly rate of fire. The second fall of OBA managed an AFV kill and rubbled a stone building (without causing any casualties). We thought the scenario fairly balanced and we enjoyed the challenge of the scenario. Folks should not be deterred by the current 'balance' on Scenario Archive. I'm confident this will level out in time.
 

JoeArthur

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Another approach: some or all of the German tanks might consider cutting through the woods in A14 then up the west side. That would bypass almost any likely defense. But it also leaves a large force out of the battle until the very end of the game.
JR
Don't do it. Tried it and the French OBA killed me and slowed me to a crawl. Game over very quickly.

Also played it as the French and won. My opponents 9-2 kill stack was also a waste of time.

If I played it again as the Germans - just hammer up the centre, fire point blank at the French with the tanks and see how many survive his fire.
 
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