JP040: Ugly Faces (German)

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UP844
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JP040: Ugly Faces (German)

Post by UP844 »

The Plan

Basically, I must take the village, inflicting as many losses as possible.

From the scenario description I expect to meet:
second line troops; being British, however, I expect a fair number of leaders and SW, including MMG/HMGs and ATRs
armored cars: this means Daimlers, armed with a 40mm that can easily pierce my thin-skinned ACs. I wouldn't bet neither on their ability to effectively reply with their tiny 20mm guns, nor on the killing power of my ATRs. There's always the option of killing them in CC, a favorite of mine.
18 pdr guns: they may be obsolete, but I don't like being on the receiving end.

I have several half-squads in my order of battle, which will make excellent scouts (a synonym for suicides). Their first task will be investigating those two juicy VP hexes, while the armored cars will skirt along the flanks (hoping there are no enemy ACs or guns) and take position on the mid-map road.

Basically, my plan aims at taking as few VP hexes as possible to have the Brits counterattacking and then waiting from them, so as to have the advantage of firing first.

(continues)



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Chasing Germans in the moonlight is no mean sport

Siegfried Sassoon

Long Range Fire (A7.22)........1/2 FP
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RE: JP040: Ugly Faces (German)

Post by UP844 »

The Plan, part 2

Part of the troops entering on Turn 1 will attack the northernmost objectives; the remaining ones will take the stone building in the center of the map and then will move towards the southern objectives (if necessary).

The 222 armored cars, which are vulnerable even to infantry fire, will stay on the road behind the 231s and will provide whatever fire support they can.

(continues)

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Chasing Germans in the moonlight is no mean sport

Siegfried Sassoon

Long Range Fire (A7.22)........1/2 FP
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RE: JP040: Ugly Faces (German)

Post by Peter Fisla »

Thank you UP844 for the ARR...[;)]
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RE: JP040: Ugly Faces (German)

Post by UP844 »

Turn 1 German

A lone German HS moves forward to scout the two closest VP hexes but, much to my surprise, there are no killer stacks waiting for them.

Another squad, moving more boldly, is fired upon by a single British squad with no effect.

Since it looks like there is nobody else (and the British squad is marked with a Final Fire [:D]), the Germans rush forward. No one else appears, and the heavy German Advancing Fire causes no damage to the British squad.

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Chasing Germans in the moonlight is no mean sport

Siegfried Sassoon

Long Range Fire (A7.22)........1/2 FP
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RE: JP040: Ugly Faces (German)

Post by UP844 »

Turn 1 - German

In the Advance Segment, the Germans continue moving forward, but no other British units appear. The German B* Leader, with three squads and a MMG, takes position near a 231 AC.



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Chasing Germans in the moonlight is no mean sport

Siegfried Sassoon

Long Range Fire (A7.22)........1/2 FP
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RE: JP040: Ugly Faces (German)

Post by UP844 »

Turn 1 - British

Where are the Brits? [&:]

In the German Defensive Fire, two ACs and three infantry stacks fire on the British squad and break it. Other than this, all is quiet on the West Front.

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Chasing Germans in the moonlight is no mean sport

Siegfried Sassoon

Long Range Fire (A7.22)........1/2 FP
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RE: JP040: Ugly Faces (German)

Post by UP844 »

Turn 2 - German

In the Reinforcement Segment, a British B* Leader and a squad armed with a HMG appear, at least. Have they advanced there, coming from the north?



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Chasing Germans in the moonlight is no mean sport

Siegfried Sassoon

Long Range Fire (A7.22)........1/2 FP
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RE: JP040: Ugly Faces (German)

Post by UP844 »

Turn 2 - German

Following the age-old tactical principle "Harm them before they harm you", the two 222 ACs on the road open fire on the British leader, hoping to neutralize the HMG and make the infantry advance easier. They only manage to pin the leader, but considering their light armament, that's something.



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Chasing Germans in the moonlight is no mean sport

Siegfried Sassoon

Long Range Fire (A7.22)........1/2 FP
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RE: JP040: Ugly Faces (German)

Post by UP844 »

Turn 2 - German

The fearless HS continues its scouting mission: it discovers some other British units, including a 2 pdr AT Gun (a pea-shooter, but against my armored cars is as deadly as an 88). They all fire to the heroic HS and broke it.

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Chasing Germans in the moonlight is no mean sport

Siegfried Sassoon

Long Range Fire (A7.22)........1/2 FP
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RE: JP040: Ugly Faces (German)

Post by UP844 »

Turn 2 - German

A lone German squad moves forward to draw fire and gets some from the HMG, which breaks it.

Most other German units advance to the edge wood, while the B* leader with the German MMG enters the stone building near the road bifurcation. From there he should (hopefully) silence the 2 pdr, allowing the armored cars to advance and provide some support.

A few (leaderless!!! How can I be so stupid?) squads move towards the house below the road, with the aim of taking another VP hex.

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Chasing Germans in the moonlight is no mean sport

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Long Range Fire (A7.22)........1/2 FP
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RE: JP040: Ugly Faces (German)

Post by Peter Fisla »

Holly molly UP844, you have been busy mister [:D]
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RE: JP040: Ugly Faces (German)

Post by UP844 »

The best is yet to come... [:D]
Chasing Germans in the moonlight is no mean sport

Siegfried Sassoon

Long Range Fire (A7.22)........1/2 FP
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RE: JP040: Ugly Faces (German)

Post by UP844 »

Turn 2 - German

In the Advancing Fire Segment, all the moving German infantry units fire at the newly discovered Britons with no effect at all.

I didn't really expect them to achieve anything, but why should I lose a chance, even a small one, to hit the enemy?



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Chasing Germans in the moonlight is no mean sport

Siegfried Sassoon

Long Range Fire (A7.22)........1/2 FP
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RE: JP040: Ugly Faces (German)

Post by UP844 »

Turn 2 - German

Some units rout, some (cautiously) advance. If there are other British units lurking in the village, this is not the time to discover them.



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Chasing Germans in the moonlight is no mean sport

Siegfried Sassoon

Long Range Fire (A7.22)........1/2 FP
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RE: JP040: Ugly Faces (German)

Post by UP844 »

Turn 2 - British

The 12th Lancers finally appears.

One of the Daimler ACs fires at a 222: the gun misses (big sigh of relied) but the CMG forces it to Stop.

All the other British units, in a magnificent application of the principle of concentration of fire, fire at the stone building that I intended to use as my "firebase". Despite the remarkable volume of fire, the sole casualty is the B* leader, which breaks.

Apparently, no British units move in the Movement Segment.






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Chasing Germans in the moonlight is no mean sport

Siegfried Sassoon

Long Range Fire (A7.22)........1/2 FP
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RE: JP040: Ugly Faces (German)

Post by UP844 »

Turn 2 - British

In the Defensive Fire segment, most German units fire at the 2 pdr gun and manage to break its crew.
The remaining 222(*) duels with the Daimler and even manages to hit it, but the 20mm rounds bounce away.
The stack just above the stone building fires its ATR at the Daimler, hits it and fails to penetrate (as expected), then pins the B* leader with the HMG (an absolutely useless result, even though it has a nice effect on my morale).

(*) Actually, there is a third 222, but I forgot its existence [8|] and it stays in its entry hex.


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Chasing Germans in the moonlight is no mean sport

Siegfried Sassoon

Long Range Fire (A7.22)........1/2 FP
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RE: JP040: Ugly Faces (German)

Post by UP844 »

Turn 3 - German

The B* leader fails to rally, but its stack manages to break the 2 pdr crew (which has rallied and has repossessed the gun in the Admin Segment). The MGs retain their ROF and kill it. Scratch one gun.

The stack above the stone building fires its ATR at the Daimler: a big PPPING!! is the only effect of such fire. The infantry units fire at the B* with the HMG with no effect.

The other stack near the stone building fires at the British squad and leader in the VP hex and breaks the leader.

And now... one of those unlikely events that make me fell in love with ToTH (and with ASL before it).

The 222 could move away, but this will mean taking (deadly) fire from the Daimler before leaving the hex. Having a choice between an almost certain death and improbable success, I decide to stay and fire. The 222 fires at the enemy AC, keeps ROF and fires six times, scoring four hits: three bounce off, but the last penetrates and destroys the Daimler [:D]. Since it has retained ROF, the 222 shifts fire to the British B* with the HMG and fires another three times: the leader survives unscathed, the squad is broken, then is Battle Hardened (but remains broken [:D])



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Chasing Germans in the moonlight is no mean sport

Siegfried Sassoon

Long Range Fire (A7.22)........1/2 FP
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RE: JP040: Ugly Faces (German)

Post by Peter Fisla »

Good work mister, nice to read and enjoy [:D]
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RE: JP040: Ugly Faces (German)

Post by UP844 »

Turn 3 - German

Having neutralized the three greatest threats, it's time to move.

The uppermost units assault the wooden building containing a VP hex. The defending squad first breaks a "sacrificial" squad, then fires on two other squads entering the adjacent building hex, with no effect and failing the Final Protective Fire Morale Check (i.e. the FPF MC, in ASL-ese [:D])

The scene is repeated in the lower VP hex, even though this time - since my "sacrificial" squad Assault Moved in a building (instead of Moving in the Open [:D]) survives the fire with no adverse effects.

The Armored Cars form a single column along the road: the 231s (which cannot be affected by infantry fire) take the lead and the 222s (including the one I forgot) bring up the rear. They should be able to harass ("prevent" is excessive to describe their abilities) any British movements across the green line. The "Stopped" 222 returns to CE status during the Movement Segment and fires (with no effect) on the B* leader with the HMG.



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Chasing Germans in the moonlight is no mean sport

Siegfried Sassoon

Long Range Fire (A7.22)........1/2 FP
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RE: JP040: Ugly Faces (German)

Post by UP844 »

Turn 3 - German

German units advance and take two VP hexes; a HS advances before the ACs to give the British HMG a juicy target (and to prevent it from firing at the 222s)



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Chasing Germans in the moonlight is no mean sport

Siegfried Sassoon

Long Range Fire (A7.22)........1/2 FP
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