AAR - One Story Town (German Side)

[UP844]

The Plan

The Finnish force consists of:

12 SS squads with 2 LMG and an ATR (northern setup area): this force will attempt to infiltrate moving close to the north map edge and then turn south to attack the northernmost VP hex cluster.

9 SS squads with 2 LMG and an ATR, plus 6 Assault Engineer squads with 3 DC (southern setup area): the SS squads will attack the two centre-south VP clusters, while the Engineers will attack the southern VP cluster where firefight ranges will be shorter because of the many buildings.

Once these their initial objectives are cleared, both forces will move to attack the center VP cluster.

The Russians have an unknown number of AFVs: I think they could be dealt with using DC and CC, as long as no T-34s or KVs are present (I do not think the Red Army sent any against the Finnish, with the Germans closing on Leningrad from the south).

[Paullus]

This is going to be interesting [:)]

[UP844]

German Turn 1 - German Admin Segment

In the north, the only visible Russian unit is a BA-20: as long as it remains there (and it will until I get some VP hex) it should not be able to fire on my units as they move along the north edge of the map. It is well armed (a 45mm, CMG and BMG), but its armor is so thin the ATR has a decent chance to kill it.

[UP844]

German Turn 1 - German Admin Segment

In the southern sector, there are some more Russian units: a MMG (which can seriously hamper any attempt to move north and take the eastern south-central VP building), a T-26 (a tougher opponent than the BA-20: I doubt the ATR can harm it, so I will have to deal with it by means of DCs or in CC) and a lone 1st Line squad (but I suspect there are others in the southernmost VP building.

[UP844]

German Turn 1 - German Fire Segment

In the north, there are no targets and I do not intend to duel with the armored car, so there is no Fire as all the units will move east in the Movement Segment.

In the southern sector, the A** leader, a SS squad and a LMG fire on the MMG squad north of them. If their fire has no effect, I could still make another attack at 12FP@0 DRM or two attacks at 6FP@0 DRM.

[ASL conventional wisdom says "Make a single high FP attack if the final DRM is +1 or more, make several low-FP attack if the final DRM is -1 or less". Here, the DRM is 0: I could have made a 21FP@0 DRM attack, but I think (and hope) I can neutralize the MMG with a low-FP attack and spare some FP for the D* leader in the westernmost building, to make life easier for my troops when they will have to advance]

The first attack breaks the MMG squad, but the subsequent attack at 6FP@0 does not harm the D* leader and the LMG squad stacked with him. This is not good news for the adjacent stack, which will have to advance to the VP building.

Nobody else fires: the SS stack adjacent to the A** leader will attempt to take the VP building north of it, while the SS stack with the ATR will advance and try to engage (or, at least, to distract) the T-26 and the engineers will move west towards the southernmost VP building.

[UP844]

German Turn 1 - German Movement Segment

The stack adjacent to the A** leader starts moving north, one squad at a time, and all hell breaks loose.

The first squad takes fire from the D* leader, the T-26 (plus two other T-26s I was unable to see) and a B leader with two squads firing from a building just west of the VP building. It is eliminated, but as a consolation prize now I have a somewhat clearer idea of the hornet nest I am walking into.

The second squad takes a bit less fire and manages to come adjacent to the broken Russian MMG squad (this will guarantee the latter will have to rout away)

The last squad and the leader have a relatively quiet run, but are fired by Russian MG fire from in the centre VP building (off-map) and the squad breaks.

The SS stack with the ATR also moves a squad at a time adjacent to the Russian B leader stack. It takes some fire, which breaks a squad (not the ATR-armed one), but the two Russian squads fail their FPF morale check and break.

The two Engineer stacks take some light fire from the Russian units, but these are deployed as single squads and their fire (4-6 FP@+1 shots) does not cause any casualties.

[UP844]

German Turn 1 - German Movement Segment

In the north, the Finnish move east as fast as possible: a scouting squad moves double time to check if the path is clear, then all the other ones follow. All squads in the two leaderless stacks move double time to remain within 2 hexes from the A** leader for C&C purposes (I do not think they will have to fire soon).

As the Finnish move, they spot some Russian units (including another T-26) near the northern VP building: none of them fires (my units are beyond their Normal Range [:D] so I can move in the open with no risk to be fired upon) but most of them are no more visible at the end of the Movement Segment.

[UP844]

German Turn 1 - Russian Defensive Fire Segment

Nothing happens, all Russian units used all their opportunities to fire in the Movement Segment

German Turn 1 - German Advancing Fire Segment

In the north, the A** leader fires at one of the visible 1st line squads (single attack, 7.5FP@0 DRM, no effect)

In the south:

The pinned SS squad fires at the broken Russian MMG squad (3FP@+2, no effect).

The ATR-armed squad fires at a T-26 and misses it, then both SS squads in the hex fire at the C leader stacked with a 1st Line squad and a LMG (8FP@+2, no effect)

The two Engineer stacks both fire at the LMG-armed squad in the easternmost VP hex (a 6FP@0 attack with no effect and a 15FP@+1 attack that breaks and CR'd the Russian squad)

[UP844]

German Turn 1 - German Rout Segment

The broken SS squad adjacent to the broken Russian MMG squad and its leader rout south-east and end their rout in a wooden building.

The other broken SS squad also routs in a wooden building

German Turn 1 - Russian Rout Segment

The MMG squad abandons the SW and routs north-east along the road: it is interdicted by the LMG in the A** leader stack, which CR'd it.

The B leader and its two broken squads rout 1 hex west and join the broken HS already there.

German Turn 1 - German Advance Segment

The ATR-armed stack advances 1 hex west: it will make rallying harder for the adjacent Russian units, but it will have to endure some fire from the T-26s.
The Engineers have no reason to advance in open terrain hexes under Russian fire.

[UP844]

German Turn 1 - German Advance Segment

All units advance east: they discover a lonely 1st Line squad and renew their acquaintance with the BA-20 armored car.

[UP844]

Russian Turn 1 - Russian Admin Segment

The B leader fails to rally the broken units (2 SQ, 1 HS) in the southernmost VP building

Russian Turn 1 - German Admin Segment

The C* leader rallies the SS unit near the centre-south eastern VP building.

Russian Turn 1 - Russian Fire Segment

In the south, anyone with a LOS fires at the ATR stack: the ATR squad is broken, the other is Pinned

A T-26 fires at the lone SS squad adjacent to the VP building (No effect) and a BA-6 fires at the C* leader with the just rallied ATR squad.

[UP844]

Russian Turn 1 - Russian Fire Segment

In the north, a BA-6 fires at the A** leader stack with no effect and a 1st Line squad fires at the B* leader stack (4FP@+2), also with no effect.

The two squads in the centre of the screenshot do not fire since range exceed their Normal Range (they would have attacked with 2FP@+1, with the same - admittely small - chance to obtain an effective result the squad firing 4FP@+2 had). And yes, I know I am boring all of you to death with this issue [:D].

[UP844]

Russian Turn 1 - Russian Movement Segment

No visible Russian movements, even though a BA-6 and a T-26 attempted (and failed) to move.

Russian Turn 1 - German Defensive Fire Segment

In the north, the B* leader, 3 SS squads and a LMG fire at the Russian squad east of them with 21FP@+2 and break it.

The A** leader stack splits its fire: it first fires 9FP@0 at the closer squad (which could theoretically fire at it in the next Movement Segment as the stack moves east), but only manages to Pin it. A second fire at 12FP@0 also achieves a (useless) Pin.

[UP844]

Russian Turn 1 - German Defensive Fire Segment

In the south there is much more ongoing action.

The lone SS squad adjacent to the VP building fires at the broken RU squad that manned the MMG with no effect besides making it "Broken+"

The nearby stack with the C* leader fires its ATR at a T-26, hits it but fails to penetrate, then fires at the stack of broken units in the VP building (3FP@+1 the caption in the screenshot is wrong) and CR'd one of the squads.

The A** leader stack fires 12FP@0 at the D* leader with 2 squads and a LMG, pinning one of the squads

The pinned SS squad adjacent to the southern VP building makes a "just for the hell of it" (3FP@+2) attack on the Russian C leader with 2 squads with no effect.

The Engineer stack with the B* leader fires 15FP@+1 at the 1st Line squad with a LMG straight west, which breaks, fails its Experience Check and becomes a broken Conscript squad

The Engineer stack with the C leader fires 12FP@+2 at the 1st Line squad with a LMG in the VP building, which breaks.

Russian Turn 1 - Subsequent Segments

Essentially, nothing happens except routing units moving away from the enemy.

[UP844]

At the end of Turn 1, I am quite satisfied.

In the North, everything is going according to my plan.

In the south, I did not expect so many Russian AFVs, but the Russian defenses are starting to crumble and I think I should be able to occupy some VP hexes on Turn 2 and to start attacking the T-26s on Turn 3. I will have to leave the C leader behind to rally the 2 broken squads, but I have a significant superiority in firepower and morale over the Russian infantry.

[UP844]

German Turn 2 - German Admin Segment

The ATR-armed SS squads fails to self-rally

German Turn 2 - Russian Admin Segment

A HS in the south VP building rallies

German Turn 2 - German Fire Segment

The unbroken ATR-armed squad in the south fires at a T-26 and misses.

No other units fire: the scenario is only 8 turns long and I cannot miss any opportunity to move, even though this implies taking more chances than I would like.

[UP844]

German Turn 2 - German Movement Segment

In the north, the first squad moving east towards the broken Russian unit is takes fire from a HMG with a * or ** leader (it disappeared after firing) and is eliminated.

The other Finnish units take care to remain outside the HMG LOS, since it retained ROF. They discover some Russian infantry (including a B** leader with a MMG) and two T-26. Their scattered fire does no damage, and their lack of leaders brings them to "Final Fire" very quickly.

This is going to become another slugging match: if I advance further, I will have to deal with all the Russians I see, plus the HMG (which is perfectly set up to cover the western approaches to the VP hexes). I will have to eliminate the MMG and all this Russian infantry before I can advance (and even then, it won't be fun).

[UP844]

German Turn 2 - German Movement Segment

In the south, the SS squad adjacent to the VP building Assault Moves inside and takes a VP hex. the A** leader stack moves towards the same building one squad at a time: a squad is eliminated, another is pinned and the A** leader and the LMG-armed squad join the squad that took the VP hex.

The sole remaining SS squad in the extreme south Assault Moves and takes another VP hex: it takes fire from the two adjacent squads with a LMG (20FP@+1), the two squads with the C leader further south (8FP@+1) and an adjacent HS (4FP@+1) but, miraculously, it is only pinned by all this fire.

I thought I had no more Russian fire to face, so the Engineers moved east: they took some losses from a previously unsighted Russian squad (1 Engineer squad KIA, 1 B* leader broken), but they managed to move adjacent to all the Russian units near the VP building. The C leader stack failed its FPF Morale Check and is also broken, and one of the Engineer squads places a DC on the B* leader stack of broken units.

[UP844]

German Turn 2 - Russian Defensive Fire Segment

The Russians used almost all of their fire opportunities in the Movement Segment: the only fire in this segment comes from a BA-6 that fires at the A** leader in the VP hex it just occupied.

German Turn 2 - German Advancing Fire Segment

In the south:

The A** leader stack and the pinned SS squad fire at targets in the center VP building, with no effect

The DC breaks the B leader, Casualty Reduces two squads, kills a HS and pins another.
The SS squad in the south VP building fires 4FP@+2 at the two adjacent squads and pins one.
The Engineer squad that placed the DC fire 10FP@+2 at the adjacent broken LMG-armed HS with no effect
The Engineer stack in the extreme south fires 10FP@+2 at the adjacent hex, breaking the C leader, Casualty Reducing a broken squad and eliminating the other one.

[UP844]

German Turn 2 - German Advancing Fire Segment

In the north, the Finnish put out a lot of firepower at every target in sight, with negligible results (just a single pinned squad [:@]). See the screenshot for the not-so-gory details.