Quantcast
Channel: Grumble Jones - An ASL Blog
Viewing all 553 articles
Browse latest View live
↧

Grumble Jones August Scenario GJ060 - Illi's Block

August 9, 2018, 10:24 pm
$
0
0
The Grumble Jones August scenario finds us once again in Italy. For this month, I chose to do a scenario set during the Battle of Ortona. I drew my inspiration from Mark Zuehlke's outstanding book, Ortona, which may be the best treatment of this epic battle on the east coast of Italy. Much like Cassino in the west, Ortona served a similar role in blocking the Canadian advance up the east coast of the Italian Boot. The fighting for Ortona would some of the worst urban fighting experienced by Canadian forces during the war. Ortona is often referred to the "Little Stalingrad". While, Ortona falls very much short of modeling Stalingrad, it was nevertheless one of the fiercest and most costly battles fought by the Canadians during the Second World War. 

Zuehlke's book provides a great deal of small unit action detail. It is a tremendous source for generating scenario ideas. The focus of the book is squarely with the Canadian effort. But now and again, there is some good detail of the German activities during the battle. 













Another great treatment of the battle is the Crossing the Moro campaign game from Lone Canuck. The CG comes with a beautiful map and a number of stand alone scenarios that depict the fighting as the Canadians drove into the outskirts of Ortona. If you don't yet own this gem, I highly recommend purchasing it.
















This month's scenario is also my first attempt to create a scenario using a Deluxe Board. I will admit that I don't prefer to play DASL scenarios, but it was fun putting this one together. Hopefully it captures the flavor of the fighting for Ortona.



As always these monthly "Basement Quality" Scenarios are offered for fun only and as a thank you to the readers of this blog.
Remember to open pictures in a new window in order to maximize the size. 

And as always, the PDF's for this scenario can be downloaded from The ASL Scenario Archive (just search on Grumble Jones).

↧
Search

Our Saturday Game..."One moment.. a special bulletin is coming through.."

August 13, 2018, 10:46 am
$
0
0


….newsfeed...begin....GJ Network correspondent...live feed...transmit now...


"We interrupt the Saturday Game AAR with an update from the GJ Combat photographers on location on board 51 near the Free French held portion of Koenigsbach, Germany. We are talking live with GJ Combat Reporter Milton "The Shrek" Bunnyman. ...just a moment...Milton...can you hear me...what is the current status of LFT Scenario 222...code named 'Hetzer Butcher'...there seems to be a delay in the AAR...can you update us??"

"Yes...yes..I hear you Walt...it's a bit noisy here...the Free French Forces have been battling for nearly 5 turns now to slow down the German assault here in Koenigsbach. Rough stuff...I have to tell you. Casualties have been high and smoke is shrouding the town from various locations marking burning Sherman Tanks and one M-10. And at least one German Hetzer is smoking near the south edge of town. We are located in the southwest hills on board 2 overlooking the village. We have a great vantage point to cover the action and seem to be relatively safe in this location. We can tell  you that the German assault came in hard and fast from the east end. The Free French were deployed not far from our current position as Allied intelligence had hinted that the Germans would come from the board 2 approaches....just a moment Walt....I'm getting some updates....

Ok,Walt...good news...Allied reinforcements are heading in from the north. In fact, we can make out some dust clouds indicating that Allied armor is with this force. That is good news, because I'm told only about three unbroken Free French squads are still fighting in the center of town....and Walt...I must tell you that the fighting here has been brutal at times...hand to hand fighting in the buildings has been reported and the Germans have been prevailing in these struggles. 

So...Walt, we are going to displace and see if we can cover the action towards the north. With any luck this will push the Germans back out of Koenigsbach. There are only a couple of turns left and we should have it all wrapped up here shortly. With some luck...things will turn around here. That's all for now from Koenigsbach….this is "The Shrek" signing off....


"Ladies and Gentlemen...it appears that the fighting in Koenigsbach continues to rage. We know now that the situation in Koenigsbach is grim. We can only hope and pray that the Allied reinforcements arrive in time to save the remaining Free French survivors. We will continue to monitor this situation and provide a full coverage AAR just as soon as we can. That's the news...this April evening...1945.


So as Walter has informed us the current Saturday Game of LFT 222 Hetzer Butcher is still in progress.We will need another night in order to finish it. Currently, Dan and I are at the start of Turn 5. The Germans have control of 15 buildings (they need 18) and have gained 28 CVP to the Free French 23. Whichever side has 28 CVP more than the opponent wins immediately.

So Dan and I have a great game going, but won't be able to finish it until Friday. So the full AAR will be available next week. Sorry for the delay.
↧
↧

Our Saturday Game - Le Franc Tireur's Scenario FT 222 Hetzer Butcher

August 20, 2018, 8:35 pm
$
0
0
For our Saturday Game (8/11 and 8/17) Dan Best and I reached into Le Franc Tireur's "From the Cellar Pack 8".  This is the latest of the "From the Cellar Packs" and is chock full of some really good scenarios. As it was my choice for scenario, I was intrigued by Hetzer Butcher. The ubiquitous Hetzer is one of those German vehicles that was cobbled together as the Third Reich's fortunes had begun to wane and the Germans desperately needed armor that could be quickly produced and that could hang with the Allied Armor that was increasingly better gunned and armored. 

The scenario covers the April 1945 actions around Koenigsbach, Germany as Free French forces headed towards Stuttgart. The Free French had occupied about half of the town, when the Germans launched a violent counter-attack supported by Hetzers. Historically the German attack would hit the French hard, but by later afternoon Allied counter-attacks would take back the town and Stuttgart would fall only days later.


The map choices for this scenario (designed by Lionel Colin) are excellent. Board 51 always looks easier to move around it...but don't be fooled,  it's narrow city streets are a nightmare to traverse. Both sides set up on the map, so concealment growth is limited to the concealment counters provided in the respective orders of battle. The scenario victory conditions are well constructed to give both sides the opportunity for an immediate win by amassing 28 CVP more than their opponent or the Germans can also win at game end if they control 18 or more 3 hex buildings. As I would discover, the victory conditions would be very difficult to achieve. ROAR has this scenario with 3 German wins and 0 Free French wins. The ASL Archive has it with 1 German win and 1 Free French win.

After rolling for sides, Dan Best would be the Free French and command elements of the 4th Compagnie, Bataillon de Choc with elements of the 3'eme Escadron, 11'eme Regiment de Chasseurs d'Afrique, elements of the Regiment de Marche de la Legion Etrangere and elements of the 1er Cuirassiers, 5'eme Division Blindee…(good grief that's a mouthful...). This force would consist of 2 x 6-4-8's, 5 x 4-5-8's 6 x 4-5-7's led by a 9-1, 2 x 8-1's, and an 8-0 with an HMG, 3 x MMG's, a 60 MTR, and 3 x Bazooka 45's. For support they would have a half-track, an M-10 and 2 x Sherman M4's. These fellas would be the defending force waiting on the arrival of Allied Reinforcements. The reinforcements would consist of 3 x 6-4-8's, 3 x 4-5-7's led by a 9-2, and 8-1 with 3 x Sherman M4's, an M-10, and 4 half-tracks led by a 9-1 Armor Leader. A very substantial force to say the least.

As the Scenario Attacker, I would command elements of Grenadier Regiment 447, 257 Volksgrenadier Division and an unknown SS Unit. My force would consist of 2 x SS 4-5-8's, 2 x SS 4-4-7's, 8 x 4-6-7's, and 8 x 4-4-7's led by 3 x 9-1's, an 8-1 and an 8-0 with an HMG, 2 x MMG's, 5 x LMG's and 2 x Panzerschrecks. I would also have one module of 80mm OBA, which would be instrumental as you shall see. My armor support would consist of 2 x 20L AA Half-tracks, and 5 x Hetzers with an 8-1 armor leader.

Now this scenario is a 7 turn scenario and Dan and I would need two sessions to complete it. We had completed 4 turns last Saturday night and decided that the battle was very much in doubt. So we agreed to complete it last evening. It would prove to be some of the most thrilling ASL, I've played in a while. Dan and I were locked deep in an urban - combined arms- slugfest...which is just what we love!!!

So now...let's turn it over to Walter as he completes his report on the battle for Koenigsbach...April 6th, 1945.

"Good evening...today is April 6th, 1945...a day that will be remembered for the courage and valor of Allied forces as they struggled to stop a powerful German counter-attack in the German city of Koenigsbach. Our previous reports were provided to us by the skilled combat reporter, Milton Bunnyman. Milton and his crew had moved to the northern outskirts of Koenigsbach to document the assault by Allied reinforcements.  Sadly, we lost contact with Milton and his crew shortly after the Allied attack began on Turn 5. At his time, Milton is listed as MIA. We hope to have an update on his status shortly. Tonight's reporting comes to us from Hank Storm who was in the thick of the fighting with Free French forces. Here now is the AAR from Hank."



"Thank you Walter...the fighting at Koenigsbach has been some of the most difficult faced by the Allies as we have advanced into the heart of Germany. This battle is one of the very few reversals our forces have suffered in the drive to Berlin. 

Walter, as you mentioned, we lost contact with Milton Bunnyman and his crew at the bottom half of Turn 5 as the Allied reinforcements assaulted Koenigsbach from the north. Our last observation of Milton's crew was as they headed towards the northern outskirts of Koenigsbach. Shortly after we lost contact, we saw at least two German Hetzer tank destroyers pass through the area. So...we frankly fear the worst. 

Here now, Walter is the AAR for the fight code-named Hetzer Butcher..."


Let's start with Dan Best's Pre-Game Thoughts:

"The scenario looks like a good street fight. The Free French advantages are in that the Germans must attack in the city. The Free French infantry are pretty good and should be able to survive in the stone building to get into close combat. CC usually results in an exchange over time. I plan to use CC to street fight the Hetzers and eliminate German squads. This should stop the German attack and keep them from getting the number of victory buildings. This strategy should also keep the CVP at a fairly even pace. I will use some concealment markers to make dummy stacks to make it look like some buildings are defended but the Germans will hit an empty bag of dummys. This will give away some buildings but also delay the attack and possibly allow for the tanks to get ahead of the infantry and be unsupported."

OK...my strategy right out of the gates was to go hard and fast for as many buildings as possible. I felt confident that with enough half-squads dashing about, I could quickly gobble up the required 18 buildings.





I intended for my armor to advance to support my infantry and blast any Free French they couldn't quickly overcome.

I really did not know how best to utilize my AA Half-tracks, but finally decided to have them move along the north edge and act in a defensive role.

My Hetzers would move as a group towards the center and south to support my drive into the center of town.

"I love me some Hetzers!"


I would quickly get my 80mm OBA into the action. It would be one of my best performing assets of the game.



My initial moves went remarkably smoothly. Dan had placed Dummy stacks in front of me and I did spend a turn dealing with them. But on the plus size, I was gaining valuable buildings and keeping my force intact.

In one of my better moves, I did manage to sneak a half-squad adjacent to the southernmost Sherman Tank. This would yield great results.

In Dan's movement phase he started his Sherman...I went for a Panzerfaust...found one...fired and smoked the first tank of the game with a thunderclap!



Then my 80mm OBA came down and rubbled an entire block as had a snake eyes rubble on hex and then falling debris rolls did the rest. Fun stuff!


I would however be a little over aggressive with my tanks. Moving into pointblank range sounds good...but it not...a good idea. Dan's boy would go to CC Reaction Fire and immobilize one of my Hetzers...and the one with my Armor leader...of course!!!

Dan is a master of urban fighting and I have to remember not to move my tanks adjacent to his infantry...must not forget this...


The first armor duel also occurred as Dan's M-10 fired down the boulevard at my lead Hetzer. Being a small target saved my bacon!

I loved my little Hetzers!!!


Always aggressive...Dan moved quickly in his part of Turn 1 to counter my advances. One of these included moving a half-track to the hills in the south to unload the 60mm Mortar...but fate had other ideas. My Sniper showed up...stunned the half-track crew and forced the half-track in Recall. It was a portent of the frustrations that Dan's armor units would face with some regularity in this scenario.

You just never know when the sniper is going to affect the outcome of the game...

Dan's Free French came at me hard on the flanks and towards the city center. Dan's infantry on the south edge would ultimately cause me some serious pain as the game progressed. His Sherman moving along the north would inflict some wounds on me, but I would have my revenge.



Dan's first counter-attack was overall...a success. He had a strong line in the center of town.


Dan's counter-attack forced me to disrupt my plans and react to his moves. On the plus side, my Hetzer in the south would get a hit on the M-10 and destroy it. The armor battle was definitely favoring the Germans.


Close Combat...I have a complicated relationship with Close Combat. Over the years, I have traditionally struggled to win Close Combats. But in this scenario, I would be unusually lucky and prevail more often than not. It would be one of the game-changers for my Germans.



As we moved into Turn 3 - I had made a good strong move into the center of Koenigsbach.


But in Dan's portion of Turn 3, I would lose my first Hetzer. While still celebrating its destruction of the M-10 the crew failed to see the Free French sneak around to the rear and destroy them with a critical bazooka hit. 

Amazingly, I would lose only this one Hezter during the game.


Dan's recalled Half-track would exit the game while his boys in the south took out my Hetzer and showed the weakness in that portion of my defense. In the north, Dan's last remaining Sherman would destroy one of my AA Half-tracks and then move after my second one.



On my Turn 4, I would go after Dan's last Sherman and destroy it. My Hetzers were truly ruling the battlefield.



The fight for control of Koenigsbach had been a tough one. Both Dan and I had destroyed armor scattered around town and broken squads were in evidence throughout. 



Dan and I would continue to engage in close combat throughout the town and again the results would benefit the Germans.

The state of affairs after 4 turns. I had 15 of the 18 buildings needed for a game win...but I was still facing a lot of Free French in the town center. Turn 5 would bring on the Allied reinforcements and I was feeling that the battle was slipping out of my control.

Dan and I had adjourned for the night at the completion of Turn 4. This would leave the battle setup for a week...and each night after work, I would study the map. Suddenly, it became clear to me that the battle for more buildings would not give me the victory. I may well have seized the 18 buildings, but I could never hope to hold them. I led Dan with 28 CVP to his 23. I surveyed the battlefield and realized that by capturing Dan's brokies, I could potentially gain between 12 and 16 more CVP...added to my existing lead...I could make a run for winning the game immediately by amassing 28 more CVP than Dan. I gave the order and let my boys know the objective had changed. Kill or capture the Free French...the buildings no longer matter...

New plan boys!

So...as Turn 5 opened, I moved my boys with the intention to capture as many of the Free French as I could.


Next, I set about setting up a screen along the north edge to prepare for Dan's reinforcements. I tried to stretch my line with half-squads and placed them in locations from which to fire panzerfausts.



My plans to gobble up the Free French brokies hit a snag when Dan's 9-1 managed to rally....but it would only delay his eventual capture.


Dan's reinforcements arrive and the projected attack paths.

Dan's half-tracks would come in along with the west board edge. I would take two shots...but had very little chance to hit the small, moving half-tracks. So Dan quickly reinforced his fight for control of the town. His armor hit me hard on the east side of the map.



My defensive screen would fail to provide any results. Dan quickly broke them and they would soon be on the run.


In the city, I had captured one group of Free French and was making progress towards grabbing some more.

Our final major close combat of the game would be very interesting. Dan would send two squads and an officer against two of my squads. Dan would then fire into the melee, breaking one of his squads and both of mine. But incredibly, both my squads would successfully withdraw from the melee. An 11 rolled by Dan secured their freedom.



Dan's armor attack on the east side would be initially successful...but then the sound of incoming 80mm OBA would change things in a hurry!


In the blink of an eye...a 3-3-8 half-squad would be KIA'd and two Shermans would be immobilized...simply unbelievable...

My 8-0 had done an outstanding job throughout the battle in bringing the OBA where it was needed.

My final moves were to reposition my Hetzer on the west flank and then send my other two Hetzers against Dan's last Sherman tank, which they would destroy in Advancing Fire.  And with that, my CVP point total was 32 more than Dan's. And as my part of Turn 6 ended...it would be with a German victory.


A final look at our respective positions.  I would hang on to 12 buildings, but my decision to switch to gaining the CVP was indeed the right decision. Capturing prisoners made it possible and the luck I had against Dan's armor would complete the effort. It had been a very tight scenario. Dan and I both enjoyed this one and it is very well-layered scenario with a variety of ways for both sides to attack and defend. Great game!

Here now are Dan's Post-Game Comments:
"The scenario did not play out like I thought. Mostly because I did not do well in close combat. Buat also because the Hetzers are hard to kill. The plan to have the German hit an empty bag worked but the delay was not worth the building exchange. The Germans went all in to the street fight but in the end were not going to take the required buildings. So the Germans went for casualties. Due to the good shooting of the Hetzers and the Germans wisely taking prisoners for the extra CVP. The Germans got a victory in Turn 6. "

My Thanks to Dan for another great game! 



Dan and I will be taking a break until September 8th. As I type this...I'm in a hotel room in Portland, Maine...where I will be for the next two weeks as I work with one of key supplier for work. Ahh..the life of a Supply Chain professional...

So, I'll be missing the next two Saturdays for ASL...bummer...but on September 8th, Dan and I will be back in action with a playing of Counterattack on the Vistula...King Tigers...need I say more...!?!

Good luck to Dan as he heads to the Sioux City Tournament at the end of them month. And here's wishing all of my readers a great Labor Day Weekend!

See you again soon!

↧

Grumble Jones - September Scenario - GJ061 - Hanert's Line

September 2, 2018, 7:18 pm
$
0
0
For the September Grumble Jones Scenario I turned to an early Operation Barbarossa engagement between grenadiers of the German Gross Deutschland Regiment and Russian 145th Rifle Division. The idea for this scenario came right out of Osprey Publishing's Combat Series # 7: German Infantryman versus Soviet Rifleman by author David Campbell. I was to warm up to the Combat Series and preferred Osprey's Campaign Series books. But after purchasing a couple in Kansas City a while back...I'm now a big fan. I am grabbing as many of them as I can get my hands on. They are really great books and are especially useful for ASL Players. I highly recommend them.

This month's scenario takes place near a rail line guarded by elements of the German Grossdeutschland Regiment near Vas'kovo, Russian. The Germans were driving hard towards Voroshilovo. The Russians, reeling from the body blows of Operation Barbarossa, were largely unable to slow down the German advance. Their units, while brave, were simply not equipped with the heavy weapons support needed to establish lasting defenses in the open Russian plains. 

In this engagement, the Russians launched a large scale counter-attack to push the Germans away from the rail lines. The 145th Rifle Division would attack in waves against the entrenched machine guns of the Gross Deutschland. The waves of Russian infantry would be mowed down the attempt. 






This scenario attempts to depict the Russian assault and includes Commissars to add a little flavor to the scenario. The Russians can win immediately by controlling 1 or more of three hexes in the German setup area. With only 4-1/2 turns of game play, the Russians must go for broke early and accept the losses which surely will follow their movements in the open. I gave the Russians 25 x 4-4-7's, which is a lot of squads, but my own recent experiences playing Hill 621 and Hedgehog at Piepsk have taught me that 25 squads isn't all that great when faced with well thought out fire-lanes. The Germans have great morale, good range and enough machine guns to hold the line. The addition of the two light field guns also gives the German player a nice bit of heavy support. The great unknown in the scenario is how effective the Soviet OBA will be in the fight. Put it too far forward and it will hurt the Russian advance...and too far to the rear risks it not being effective at all.


So, as always with these monthly scenarios, my hope is that the scenario provides a flavor for the engagement depicted. One quick note, this scenario uses Bounding Fire Production map boards. Sometimes, the BFP boards are just what I'm looking for, particularly for open ground Russian Front scenarios. If you don't have these map boards, they are readily available from Bounding Fire Productions at http://www.boundingfire.com/  .



As always these monthly "Basement Quality" Scenarios are offered for fun only and as a thank you to the readers of this blog.
Remember to open pictures in a new window in order to maximize the size. 

And as always, the PDF's for this scenario can be downloaded from The ASL Scenario Archive (just search on Grumble Jones).

↧

Our Saturday Game - ASL Scenario 134 - Counter-attack on the Vistula

September 9, 2018, 1:55 pm
$
0
0

For our Saturday game, Dan Best and I selected to play another of the great old classics, ASL 134 - Counterattack on the Vistula. Back in the day...a time long...long ago...it was SL Scenario 109. Because of it's King Tigers, this was a favorite selection of my gaming circle. As teenage boys...the German big cats were always our favorite tanks to field in a game. And...I haven't changed that much since I was 15...I still love me some Tiger Tanks!!!
SL Scenario 109 was released as part of the SL Series 100 scenario pack. As I have mentioned in past blog posts, this pack was released to supplement the original Cross of Iron scenarios. With so few scenarios available in those early days, this scenario pack was gobbled up and my gaming circle quickly played through them all. Counterattack on the Vistula was one the favorites from the pack and I'm certain that we played it a number of times until ASL arrived on the scene. So needless to say, I was pleased when Dan suggested that we play this scenario next. I have not yet played the ASL version, so I was curious how it would play out versus what I remember of it from the COI days.

The scenario takes place in the early days of August 1944. It's always amazed me to think that Operation Bagration was literally coming to a halt at the Vistula River. In less than two months of fighting the Germans had been completely thrown out of Soviet Russia. Sometimes, I think we fail to fully comprehend the totality of success enjoyed by the Russian in Operation Bagration. And it's equally interesting to ponder how differently Bagration might have gone down, had more high quality panzer divisions been available. The dual whammy of Operation Bagration hitting only weeks after the Normandy landings ensured that the Russian Front would not be reinforced by the Panzer Divisions in Normandy such as the 2nd, 1st SS, 2nd SS, 9th SS, 10th SS, 12th SS,  17SS, 21st, 116th, and Panzer Lehr. This scenario does a great job of showing the power of a division like the Hermann Goering Division. Personally, I'm of the opinion that Bagration would have been far less successful had the Germans had more of the high quality Panzer Divisions available.  Just my two cents sitting here in my armchair.

After rolling for sides, Dan Best would be the Russians and assume the defense. He would command elements of the 220th Guards Rifle Regiment, 79th Guards Rifle Division and 3rd Tank Corps. Dans force would consist of


The men of the 79th Guard Rifle Division had been formed from the remnants of the 248th Rifle Division and awarded the Guards designation for their stalwart performance during the fighting for Stalingrad. They would Orders of Lenin, The Red Banner, Suvorov, and Bogdan Khmelnitsky. They would finish the war in Berlin. Bad ass fighters to the bone.


As the scenario attacker, I would command elements of the Hermann Goehring Panzer Division. My force would consist of 

The Hermann Goering Division, while an elite formation was one of those formations created to serve the vanity of one of the Third Reich's most vain leaders. One of the things, which would hamstring the German military was this kind silliness that was peculiar to the forces of the Third Reich. A Luftwaffe Panzer Division was one of the sillier things done by the Third Reich. But this Panzer Division would amass a remarkable combat record and prove that despite its Luftwaffe upbringing, would perform as well or better than many other Wehrmacht Panzer Divisions.













Like so many of the old SL and COI scenarios, this one utilizes Board 4 and 5. This of course is no surprise because at the time of its release there were only 5 boards. As we contemplate 83 released boards today...it may be hard to imagine a time when there were only 5 boards. Of course the genius of SL and ASL was the ability to orientate the boards into so many configurations...that you could enjoy playing on the same boards for years....decades...and possibly CENTURIES!!! Gotta love this game.

ROAR has this scenario as 12 Russian Wins and 10 German Wins. The ASL Archive shows 10 Russian Wins and 6 German Wins with 1 Draw. Despite having two King Tigers, this scenario does seem to favor the Russians.

The scenario objectives are straightforward. By game end the German player must control Building 4P6 and hexes 5Y8 and 5Z9. Ahhh….but there's a catch...they have to do this without suffering 24 Casualty CVP. Having a couple of King Tigers can sometimes give the possessing player a sense of invulnerability...but don't be fooled...this is a tough scenario for the German player.



And now for Dan's Pre-Game Comments:


This scenarios looks like a good fun late war east front fight.  The Russians are good troops with a few panzerfausts to keep the German tanks at bay.  Although it must be admitted nothing can stop these new King Tigers from the front.  My strategy is to defend both victory areas but use mostly 6-2-8 infantry around the bridges to fight from inside the gully or along the woods road hex.  More defenses will be around the victory building.  I will place the AT gun up front in hopes of a side or rear shot on the Tigers.  Mostly to keep the Germans tanks from point blank fire.  I will also set the 9-1 and HMG in the upper level to keep his infantry under fire across the grain fields.  Hopefully by making the fight tough we can out last the Germans with our high morale and tenacious defense.

I was pretty confident in my attack plan. I was going to hit the farmhouse location first and with all of my strength. I was going to send my trucks through the woods as a distraction. Dan's Russians had up to 4 Panzerfausts in addition to 2 x ATR's and a 57LL AT Gun. I would move very aggressively on Turn 1, with the idea that I could quickly put pressure on his force at the farmhouse. Well...that was my plan...I did have King Tigers...what could go wrong!?!

Did I mention that I had King Tigers?? My opponent should simply concede upon seeing them!!!



 Turn 1 - my ride of the Valkyries begins!!! 



 Well...it's all fun and games until the HIP AT Gun shows up....I hate those things!!!


Dan's AT Gun would get rate...do some intensive fire and ultimately destroy three of my half-tracks and kill 2 x 5-4-8's and a 7-0. Just like that Dan had 21 CVP...in the first turn. So yeah....I could only lose three more for the next 8 turns.


Dan would go on to MALF the AT Gun in his Prep-Fire Intensive Fire...but it had done its job and by itself taken down 21 CVP. Pretty darn impressive.


 Turn 2 --- might as well go for broke right...so I sent everyone right at the farmhouse. 

Yeah...I like that...

Dan's 9-1 with the HMG on level one would go after my lead half-track...but only get a stun. In advancing fire I'd roll snakes with a King Tiger MA shot and then a 1...so critical hit, which would break the 9-1 and KIA the 4-5-8 and HMG.  Ok...that was some heroic kind of stuff!



Ok...as my part of Turn 2 ended, I had made some progress. The AT-Gun was MALF'd the crew had routed away. The HMG was gone and the 9-1 was broken and routed. And I still had 3 CVP left in my cap.

          Yeah...I think I will!! 

Drats...forgot I was playing Dan Best...who never sits back and waits for you to attack. So his Russians quickly counter-attacked and swarmed the farmhouse. UGH!!!!



I had left my truck in motion...with a plan to send them forward when the rest of my force made its way to east...bad call on my part....as Dan decided to go after them. Why not...2 more easy CVP. Yep...what was I thinking...

"Hey Dmitri...I've got dibs on the first truck and you can have the second one...ok?""Da, Anatoli...one for each of us!!!"

Oh...and Dan never misses an opportunity to jump into close combat. Yep...I was in big trouble. But then a bit of a miracle. Dan's 4-5-8 that went after my stunned half-track would roll a 12 and suffer casualty reduction and them be locked in Melee with my 2-3-8 in the hex. I had dodged a bullet. And the other CC would also end in Melee. I was still alive!!!

                Was I aiming too high!?!

Turn 3 -- my half-tracks beat a hasty retreat and both of Dan's ATR shots miss...whew...that was lucky.

But Dan would shoot into the Melees...(he always does that...) and managed to break my squad. He then blew up another one of my trucks...doggone that Dmitri...and then he KIA'd my broken squad as it tried to withdraw from Melee...so Dan had 25 CVP and the win. 2-1/2 turns...yikes...did I ever blow that game...

(I'm a life long Cowboys fan...so it's ok to poke some fun at my boys!)



And now for Dan's Post-Game Comments:

That did not go as expected.  The AT gun turned out to be in the right place to kill half tracks.  Killing three half tracks with two squads and the 7-0 leader (newly ELR reduce to a 6+1).  This was a total of 20 CVP with the crews.  Surprisingly close to the CVP cap.  Turn 2 saw one half squad go down and a truck.  Then in turn 3 the other truck and finally a German squad in CC.  It was surprising how fast the CVP pilled up with the half tracks.  I think the secret for the Russians it to concentrate on killing everything except the Tigers.  The Germans are brittle with casualties.  With 22 CVP in infantry.  It is infantry that must control the buildings.  The more infantry you kill the harder it will be for the Germans.  I forgot all about the CVP cap in my pre-game planning.  But it went fast with the AT gun targeting the half tracks.
My thanks to Dan for a great night of ASL! Congrats on a great win!



Dan and I will back next Saturday for a playing of ASL Scenario 3 - The Czerniakow Bridgehead. See you then!
↧
↧

The annual Grumble Jones Halloween Scenario is coming soon...

September 10, 2018, 8:34 pm
$
0
0
Yes...it's that time of the year, when we begin thinking about the annual Halloween Scenario here at Grumble Jones. Over the years, we have had Zombies...time travel monsters, crocodiles, and more Zombies. Maybe it's time for something a little bit different. So this year, we're going Jurassic. Over the next few weeks, I will be loading the backstory information and of course the videos to accompany this year's effort. 

As the title of this year's scenario suggests, Joachim Peiper will be the main character in the drama that unfolds. Peiper is one of those controversial personalities from the Second World War that provokes strong emotions. Some social media sites even ban him, which is unfortunate as Peiper contributed militarily to German success in Russia and later during the Battle of the Bulge. He became infamous following the Malmedy Massacre. He would receive a sentence of death after the war for his part in that war crime. His "Blowtorch Battalion" committed similar atrocities only a year before during the recapture of Kharkhov in 1943. Undoubtedly, his units engaged in an unforgiving and ruthless version of war that was all too often standard procedure for Waffen SS units. 

Peiper's death sentence would ultimately be commuted and he would eventually be freed in the late 1950's. He would spend the remainder of his life in France, where he would be murdered under mysterious circumstances in 1976. 

We will take creative license to create a new backstory in which Peiper plays a key role during another of the Third Reich's supernatural events. So, while Peiper will be a key player, we make no effort to glorify the man or his crimes. We will simply create a fun, supernatural scenario, where this German personality plays a key role.

So, look for future posts throughout September and then the scenario itself will be released in mid-October.
↧

Hurricane Warning

September 14, 2018, 5:51 am
$
0
0
Just a quick note to my readers regarding current events. Our good friend and "Our Saturday Game" opponent, Dan Best has been deployed to the hurricane zone to carry out his duties with FEMA to assist with recovery efforts related to Hurricane Florence. Please keep Dan and everyone affected by this hurricane in your thoughts and prayers. It's still too early for any of us to know the full extent of the damages done by Florence, but we can assume they will be devastating and far reaching. 

Events such as these remind us that there are more important things than ASL (not many) but a few. So I wish my good friend, Dan Best a safe journey and a successful recovery effort for all those impacted by Hurricane Florence.

Dan and I will return with the "Our Saturday Game" AAR series sometime in late October. 





↧

A Jurassic Journey begins...

September 20, 2018, 9:19 pm
$
0
0
During the months of May - July 1946, the Allies held trials of German SS and Wehrmacht veterans who were connected with the Malmedy Massacre. In this massacre, American POW's were shot out of hand in circumstances, which to this day have not been adequately explained. Peiper as the commander of Kampfgruppe Peiper and the unit which committed this and other crimes against Belgian civilians was ultimately convicted of war crimes and sentenced to death by hanging. Peiper had been both a Nazi and member of the Waffen SS for the duration of the Second World War. 



During the early days of the Battle of the Bulge, the Germans captured large numbers of American GI's. In the vast majority of cases, these men were taken prisoner and sent on to POW camps in Eastern Germany. This was true of both Wehrmacht and Waffen SS units.

There were of course notable exceptions. Kampfgruppe Peiper would shoot 84 American POW's of the 258th Field Artillery Observation Battalion who were captured during the confusion of events on December 17th. As this was the second day of the German counter-offensive, speed was essential as Peiper's Kampfgruppe moved to take key bridges on the road to Meuse River.

The second notable massacre would be that of 11 African-American GI's of the 333rd Field Artillery Battalion. Known today as the Wereth 11, these men would be tortured and murdered by members of the Waffen SS. 

These events coupled with the activities of Otto Skorzeny's men dressed as Americans would ultimately steel the resolve of the American GI's and contribute to an American victory.

As always with my blog, I enjoy sharing personal experiences that mesh with the story being told. In this case, I had a very personal connection to an American GI taken prisoner at the end of 1944 in France. In 2001, I had the great honor to meet and get to know, William E. "Sonny" Mottern. I was the VP of the National Association of Purchasing Managers affiliate - NAPM-TenneVa that represented Supply Chain Professionals in Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. In the course of setting up our November dinner meeting, I decided to invite a veteran to give the pre-dinner discussion.

I reached out to Sonny Mottern and he graciously accepted.

Here's a bit about Mr. Mottern:
Born in 1924, served in the 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Division and would be captured on December 19th in France near the Rhine River. After stints in four different Stalags, he would be freed by Patton's forces on April 29th, 1945. In 1996, Sonny would be installed as the National Commander of the American Ex-Prisoners of War. Sonny dedicated the later years of his life to informing others about the experiences of American POW's in World War II and subsequent conflicts. During his service, this son of Watauga, Tennessee would earn the following medals: Purple Heart, Two Bronze Stars, the ETO Medal, the Good Conduct Medal and the POW Medal. Sonny passed away in 2007. I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to meet Sonny Mottern.

I have met former POW's on both the German and the American side of the Second World War. And I think the mercy shown by men in the heat of combat to embrace the better angels of their nature and take the enemy prisoner deserves our gratitude as well.  


Now, as we know from history, Peiper and many other Germans convicted and sentenced during the Malmedy Trials would ultimately have their death sentences commuted. Most, including Peiper would be set free in the mid to late 1950's. Peiper would ultimately locate to Traves, France, where he would be murdered in 1976 under unsolved circumstances. Peiper would not be able to escape his past or its judgement.

Now for our Halloween Scenario, we will build a hypothetical backstory as to why Peiper's sentence was commuted. Many prominent Nazis would ultimately provide information to U.S. Military Intelligence, the OSI and later the CIA as the Cold War grew in intensity. So we will explore a reason for why Peiper would be spared and what information he would ultimately provide to US Intelligence sources regarding a Top Secret Mission, which he participated in during the fall of 1943. A mission...kept secret for over 70 years and revealed here for the first time...this is the tale of "Jurassic Peiper".


This unknown mission would begin with a German archaeological dig in a forgotten Sumerian city. The Nazis were obsessed with finding artifacts related to Aryan history and other relics such as the Spear that Pierced Christ and of course the Ark of the Covenant. As covered in our previous Halloween Scenario - Die Gocke, the Germans had uncovered a time travel device. But where to go and why...well...a find in this Sumerian dig would provide a clue.

The Germans would discover Sumerian writings that essentially gave the date and location of a "flying saucer". The writings were very descriptive and the Germans were intrigued enough to send a team back in time to the crash site.

The team was successful in locating the wreck, but they quickly realized that the ship had crashed far earlier and it's power supply, etc. were so severely degraded as to not provide any useful information for German scientific endeavors. Upon their return to the present time, the Germans revisited the exact site and set to work to determine the approximate time of the crash. Using information stolen by German spies regarding the work of Martin Kamen, they came up with a way to perform Carbon Dating (Williard Libby would actually come up with Carbon Dating in 1946). The results of the German effort revealed that the crash had occurred at some point in the Jurassic Period. They knew they couldn't be exact, but they believed that even finding the crash site within a hundred years of the actual date would still give them a chance at some very useful information which could be used in German missile technologies being formulated by such men as Werner von Braun.

So it was that the German team enlisted a skeptical Werner von Braun to join them in their time travel odyssey to find the secrets of a crashed flying saucer.

The mission went as planned...except for one critical misstep. The team had forgotten that in the Jurassic Period they may encounter dinosaurs and other deadly creatures. This misstep would cost the lives of many team members and leave others trapped near the crash site.

Some team members were able to return to the present and advise that a rescue party must return immediately to save Werner von Braun and other key members of the team, who were trapped and in dire danger from some serious dinosaurs.

So it was that in the Fall of 1943, Joachim Peiper would be assigned to the most top secret mission of his career. He would be tasked with leading Half-Track Platoon back in time to confront dinosaurs and save one of the great scientific minds of the Third Reich.

Peiper was unsure of how to take the mission parameters. Time travel...dinosaurs...trapped scientists...something called Die Glocke...he was definitely perplexed...but the orders came directly from the Fuehrer. Apparently, the team that had taken Werner von Braun on their latest mission had done so without the Fuehrer's permission.

And Peiper was personally selected by the Fuehrer to lead the mission.

Peiper would assemble half-tracks with quad 20mm cannons and flamethrowers. He was also given new versions of the Panzerfaust to take along. Apparently, these were quite effective against dinosaurs.

Peiper's mission would be successful and Werner von Braun would return to Germany and would of course go on to assist the American space race. Peiper and others were forbidden to speak of the mission and their experiences had been so terrifying that most never wanted to think on them again...including Peiper himself...who would later reflect on how much more appealing combat on the Eastern Front was to facing anymore Jurassic era predators.

But Peiper would have one slip up that would be of some benefit to his survival later. On December 21st, Peiper's men would take Major Hal D. McCown, commanding officer of the 2nd Battalion, 119th Infantry Regiment, 30th Infantry Division prisoner. Peiper and McCown would speak privately on a couple of occasions. On one of these, the two men talked long into the night and Peiper would speak at length about his commitment to the Third Reich and specifically about Germany's secret weapons and activities which would ultimately secure their victory.  During this conversation, Peiper would accidentally refer to time travel and his mission the previous year. Realizing his error, he quickly changed the topic, but McCown never forgot the conversation. For more detail on this actual encounter see the link below:

http://www.battleofthebulgememories.be/en/stories/us-army/618-observations-of-an-american-field-officer-who-escaped-from-the-1st-ss-panzer-division-adolf-hitler

Ultimately, Peiper and the remaining 800 men of his Kampfgruppe would have to escape from La Gleize. They would take one prisoner with them, McCown. Upon reaching their own lines, McCown would find an opportunity to escape. During the Malmedy Trial, McCown would act as a character witness for Peiper.

In addition to his testimony regarding his time with Peiper's Kampfgruppe, he would also relate to US Intelligence Officers, the content of his late night conversation with Peiper.

With Werner von Braun already secured by the Americans, they had heard other bits and pieces of some time travel mission undertaken by the Germans. McCown's information strengthened their belief that the Germans were hiding some significant scientific information.

Therefore, US Intelligence forces determined that Peiper should indeed be kept around long enough to give up the events of what would later be entitled GA-File 672811 Jurassic Peiper.



An improbable mission so unbelievable that US Intelligence analysts would struggle to believe the details which Peiper finally shared with them. Peiper would unburden himself of his memory of the strangest mission of his career only to be told again that his complete silence on the subject would be required...lest his death sentence be carried out.


US Intelligence would find little evidence of the secret German mission mentioned by both Werner von Braun and Peiper.

It wasn't until 1976, after Peiper's mysterious murder that international agents found a faded picture in one of Peiper's bank vault boxes. Le Monde took ownership of the picture, but would mysteriously lose it before they had the opportunity to publish it.

It's location is unknown to this very day.



While no one ever spoke of Jurassic Peiper ever again...the success of that strange mission would have far reaching effects on the future of humanity.


Scenario GJ062 - Jurassic Park will be available in October. Thanks for reading the backstory to this hypothetical scenario and hopefully it will be a great tongue and cheek addition to the world of ASL Scenarios!!!
↧
Search

2018 Grumble Jones Halloween Scenario GJ062 - Jurassic Peiper

October 8, 2018, 5:13 pm
$
0
0
October brings Apple Festivals, Candy Corn, crisp morning breezes, and of course the annual Grumble Jones Halloween Scenario. It's become a fun thing to do each year. Zombies have dominated nearly all of the previous efforts. And Germany has been the primary focus of each year's outing. This year's offering is Jurassic Peiper. So the Germany focus has been maintained, but Zombies have been replaced with ravenous dinosaurs!!! 

Isn't it nice to SEE something new!?!

Hopefully, everyone will like a break from the usual Zombie Fare. The backstory for this scenario was in our most recent post and hopefully, you will take the opportunity to read and enjoy the backstory for this scenario. I will admit to enjoying the backstory activities nearly as much as putting together the scenario. 

As we covered in our backstory, Peiper revealed the details of his Jurassic Exploits to American Army Intelligence following his indictment at the Malmedy Massacre Trial. He and his taskforce would travel back in time in order to rescue trapped German Scientists...with Werner von Braun being the most important of these to save.

Peiper and his taskforce would successfully travel back to in time and quickly make contact with the trapped German Scientists. But finding them would be the easy part....

Once they were found, Peiper and his men would have to make their way back to the time portal entry point. But their movements and the noise of their armored vehicles had attracted the unwanted attention of the Jurassic era Predators.

What would follow would be a harrowing attempt to escape the jaws and talons of a host of deadly dinosaur predators.





Peiper and his men along with Werner von Braun would successfully escape...but many of the men in Peiper's taskforce would not be so fortunate.



Peiper and his men found the way to escape...will you be as lucky!?!







So here now is Jurassic Peiper. Hopefully the SSR 's are clear and not too daunting. And as always, I hope this scenario provides a bit of fun.

As always these monthly "Basement Quality" Scenarios are offered for fun only and as a thank you to the readers of this blog.
Remember to open pictures in a new window in order to maximize the size. 

And as always, the PDF's for this scenario can be downloaded from The ASL Scenario Archive (just search on Grumble Jones).



Happy Halloween everyone!
↧
↧

Our Saturday Game - ASL Scenario 32 - Subterranean Quarry

October 21, 2018, 9:43 pm
$
0
0
After nearly six weeks without some serious ASL action...Dan Best and I were once again battling it out over SKYPE. Saturdays had meaning once more!!!  The past six weeks were certainly challenging as Dan contributed to relief efforts from Hurricane Florence, and I worked through some significant work challenges related to tariffs. Not quite on par with Dan's efforts, but work nonetheless. And of course, I'd like to take a moment to thank Dan and all the folks at FEMA for their hard work over the past two months. 


Now for our Saturday game, Dan selected ASL Scenario 32 (the updated AOO version) Subterranean Quarry. And let me be totally honest...I've been avoiding this scenario since I first picked up Partisans in the '90's. Yep...I never wanted to play this one. And my original group of players in St. Louis were of a similar mind. Yes, we were lazy and had no interest in what appeared to be a challenging scenario to setup. So, ASL Scenario 32 languished...unplayed and unloved in my Scenario binder...until this Saturday. One of the great decisions, which Dan and I agreed to early on, was that we will play any scenario...night, beach landing, airborne drop, OBA, and even subterranean tunnels.

Prior to playing the scenario, I did some research on the ASL Archive. And it helped me to visualize the maps much better than I would have done on my own. In fact the Archive has two play aid images that got me on the right track.


I'm a huge fan of the ASL Archive site and consider it the best ASL related site of them all. So make sure you check it out, if you don't already.

As always, we rolled for sides and Dan would be the Partisans trying to hold out in the subterranean quarry near Kerch in the Crimea. Dan had played this scenario on numerous occasions and was familiar with both sides. The Kansas City ASL Club also uses this very scenario as the initiation scenario for new members to the club. Since, I had not played it yet...I was overdue for my initiation.

Dan had to roll on a table to determine what his Partisan force would be. Dan rolled a '1' and would have  8 x 3-3-7's, 6 x 5-2-7's, 4 x LMG's, 14 "?"'s led by an 8-1, 8-0 and 7-0.  A fairly good force for defending the dark tunnels below.








As the Romanians, I would be the scenario attacker. I would be tasked with eliminating every '?" counter and actual Partisan unit from the tunnels in order to win. Even a single '?' or broken Partisan squad at game end would give the Partisans the victory.

To accomplish the tunnel clearing, I would have 20 x 5-4-8's (German) with 6 x LMG's, 4 x Flamethrowers led by a 9-1, 8-1, and 2 x 8-0's. A very nice force indeed.


Historically, this scenario depicts the actions of Romanian forces involved in eliminating troublesome Partisans that were operating near Kerch in the Axis Rear. The Germans were desperate to stop the Soviets from retaking the Crimean Peninsula and the actions of the Partisans in the rear were a serious distraction.

Hidden in the tunnels of a nearby quarry, the Partisans were able to operate from this base with some security. The Romanians dispatched to enter the tunnels and eliminate the Partisans were initially rebuffed and forced from the quarry. After efforts to seal off the entrances to the quarry failed, a second attempt was made with more highly skilled Romanian troops, who were also better equipped to clear the tunnels. But, this effort would ultimately fail as well, when the Partisans managed to escape and secrete themselves away in yet another system of quarry tunnels.

From the ROAR and Archive stats, this scenario does appear to be Pro-Romanian. The ASL Archive shows 12 Romanian wins to 1 Partisan. ROAR shows 35 Romanian wins to 15 Partisan.  So going into this scenario, it would appear that I would have the edge as the Romanians.

With all the tunnels in this scenario, I was immediately reminded of my days playing D&D. It's been a long time (2010) since I played my most recent game of Dungeons and Dragons. Like many ASL players, I was also in the first wave of D&D'rs. I started playing in 1978...back in the day when the rules were in a white box, which contained three white paper bound books. And I can still remember when the Hill Giant module came out and for months, we played a multitude of games based around it. Ahhh...the good ol' days when D&D was pure!!!  My current campaign world has been in play since 1984 and was the third world I had created. My St. Louis group of ASL Players grew out of my D&D group. In fact, D&D was their primary game of choice and I was their DM (still am). It was at my urging, that they embraced ASL. ASL is unique in board wargaming because of its single man counters and story narrative that plays out during the game. D&D's who would never touch Panzerblitz or Midway or Luftwaffe, would readily embrace ASL. I suspect that other gamers will tell similar stories.




And now for Dan's Pre-Game Comments:

In the Kansas City ASL Club ASL 32 Subterranean Quarry is the initiation scenario for the club.  It is a good scenario for making the jump from ASLSK to full ASL.  It introduces concealment and ambush but does not have snipers or much use of fire lanes.  The new club member can challenge any club member but must be the attacking Romanians.  The scenario is unbalanced in the old version in favor of the Romanians.  So even if the new player is not experienced they still can win with the Romanians.  

The Partisans must use the two advantages they have to delay the Romanians.  Their advantages are concealment and being stealthy when good order.  The Partisans get to block two passages and can make a defensive zone to retreat to and hide in to limit the amount of Romanians that can attack in a given turn.  This will delay the Romanians to keep them from eliminating all the Partisans.  The Partisans get a variable order of battle and on the table I rolled a 1.  I got eight 3-3-7 squads and six 5-2-7 squads with 4 LMG and 14 concealment counters.  I created my defensive zone around hex row L.  I disbursed most fake concealment units outside the defensive zone with only two squads outside the zone.  I gave the 5-2-7 squads the LMG and put the leader inside the zone so route to a leader was possible for broken units.  This should limit the Romanian superior firepower and make them slug along hex row L and hopefully run out of time to clear all partisans from the board.



With that...it was time to enter the subterranean quarry...

 In order to better play this scenario, I created my own game aid showing the roads from Board 1 as tunnels. This was a HUGE help to me in visualizing and really enjoying this scenario. The lines show the correlating tunnel entrances from Board 4 to Board 1.

By SSR, Dan and I would set up simultaneously, which is super easy when playing over SKYPE. I would send my troops down all five entrances with the plan to move to the center while clearing out all the outer tunnels.



My boys prepare to head into the quarry tunnels.

 I dropped down into the tunnels and moved to bump as many '?' counters are possible. In this way, I was able to quickly eliminate some of the dummys in the tunnels. In the east approach, I would hit a very real Partisan unit led by the Partisan 8-1. They would shatter my force and force me to rout.

5-2-7 with an LMG at point-blank range is a nasty 14 firepower (IIFT yeah baby!!!). 12 for those of you who are more memory centered for your fire table. 


 I moved into close combat on every occasion, but would not fare overly well in the beginning of this scenario. Dan's Partisan were stealthy and with an 8-1 leader would get the ambush and take me down.

 The situation after my part of Turn 1. I had managed to reveal one of the tunnel blocks and would have to find another path towards the center.

 Dan's boys would not sit and wait for me in the dark tunnels, They would attack and successfully force my boys back to the surface at the east end.

The Partisan 8-1 would bedevil me all the way to the end of the scenario.

 The Partisan 8-1 would force my boys back to the surface and they head south to confront my boys moving from that direction.

The tunnels were proving to be a daunting environment.


 By the end of Turn 2, I had located the second tunnel block and therefore also found the Partisan redoubt. I would get the better of the close combats as I finished clearing up the exterior tunnels.



 My 8-1 had been forced to return to the surface, but he would battle harden to a 9-1 later on and give a good account of himself by game end.



 After the earlier bloody nose that Dan had given me in Turn 1, I moved a bit more cautiously and worked hard to keep my concealment intact. Units in the tunnels could only fire at adjacent hexes and then only if the LOS moved from tunnel dot to tunnel dot. All of the fighting would be pointblank and deadly. I had to be careful not to incur 27 CVP. 

 By the time we headed into the middle turns, all of the tunnels outside of the Partisan redoubt had been successfully cleared. Now, I just had to push forward into the dark tunnels and hope to do more damage to the Partisans than they did to me!


The tunnels lead on towards the hiding place of the Partisans!

 My flamethrowers would be hugely important in helping me push ahead one hex at a time. I would be down to only one functioning flamethrower at game end, but they had done their job.



 The black arrows show the only way forward. I had Dan's Partisans cornered, but I could only approach them one hex a time. Dan would punch me hard with each step my boys took forward in the tunnels.



 My forces were in two main groups and bunched up terribly in the narrow tunnels. Moving would be difficult for both broken units and good order units trying to move up to the fighting.

 X's mark the successful opening of a way forward. I had to eliminate and/or rout the Partisans in order to keep moving forward. I would on one occasion use Infantry overrun against a Partisan officer. It was a desperate move, but with time running out...it had to be made.

 The battle continued to go in favor of the Romanians. I was winning the Close Combats despite the breaking and ELR'ing of many of my squads.

 Soon, the Partisans were being slowly pushed back into the recesses of their redoubt.



 The slugging match continued. Each turn, I tried to batter my way forward.

 I would manage to get my forces ahead one hex at a time despite determined Partisan resistance.

 A critical close combat.

 It would end in Melee, which was good for my boys. 

 Both Dan and I would fire into the melee and clear the hex.

 I continued to move forward and engage in yet another close combat in the dark quarry tunnels.

 Yet another Melee result.

 And one again, Dan and I would both fire into and clear the Melee of all participants.

Dan's remaining Partisans checked the tunnel maps...there was no escaping...

 And finally on my final move, I put my boys into the intersection hex. I would have to survive all Partisan Fire in their part of Turn 8 and then eliminate them in my defensive fire or lose the game.

The final tunnels had been found.


I would survive the Partisan fire and then eliminate the Partisans in both adjoining hexes. The final roll for eliminating the northernmost unit was a Snake eyes on 32/16 for unconcealed and concealed units. Everyone died and it was game over...a Romanian victory at the very last possible moment.


My boys had done it.


And now for Dan's Post-Game Comments:
Well everything went as expected.  However, Scott was able to clear the board just in time.  Scott did a great job attacking down all the entrances simultaneously and eliminating the dummy stacks quickly.  He also found the blocked hexes and quickly constricted on the defensive zone.  I was able to inflict 9 CVP and ELR reduce many squads.  But Scott pressed on and cleared the board in the last defensive fire phase and eliminated the last Partisans unit in Route.  Good solid play and deliberate grinding attack by Scott won the day.  Another great game.







Here is the tunnel play aid I used for my game.

A truly hard fought and enjoyable game of ASL. Dan and I had gone toe to toe in the dark tunnels of the subterranean quarry and luck was on the side of my Romanians. I'm glad we played this scenario, but I'm not sure that I would want to play again. I really do prefer the open Russian steppes to the confined, claustrophobic spaces of the underworld!!

My thanks as always to Dan for a great night of ASL. So glad, my opponent is back in the saddle. Looking forward to next week's game already.

Dan and I will be back next Saturday for a playing of ASL Scenario J118 Elephants Unleashed!!!


See you then!
↧

Our Saturday Game - ASL Scenario J118 Elephants Unleashed

October 28, 2018, 9:50 pm
$
0
0
It's been a while since Dan Best and I were able to play back to back Saturdays...but fair winds prevailed and we were once again battling in the cardboard universe of ASL!!! It was my turn to pick and I felt like a Kursk scenario...and Elephants!!! You just don't get to play with the Elefants/Ferdinands enough. So when I saw the title to J118....well yeah....that's the one alright!!


Scenario J118 Elephants Unleashed (designed by Martin Svard) deals with the fighting on the Northern German pincer, which had Ponyri as its objective. The German forces engaged in the north were primarily Wehrmacht units. When most of us think of the Battle for Kursk, more often than not, we are thinking primarily of the fighting with the southern pincer. In the south the SS Panzer formations as well as the Grossdeutschland Division were engaged in some of the largest tank battles in history. The fighting in the north made about as much progress as the southern assault and with similar losses in men and material. It would be the presence of 90 German Ferdinands/Elefants, which would stand out in the northern assault. This would be the first use of such a large formation of these massive beasts. The Elefants would ultimately suffer heavy losses, but they would leave an indelible mark on the history of the Battle for Kursk.



After rolling for sides, Dan would be the attacking Germans and I the defending Russians.

ROAR shows this scenario with 48 German Wins and 49 Russian Wins, while the ASL Archive shows 4 German Wins to 11 Russian Wins. 

So, right off the bat, it would appear to me that this scenario was a bit Pro-Russian. We know historically that the Elefants fared poorly, but ASL and historical results don't always go hand in hand. 

The victory conditions called for the Germans to win immediately if they exited 22 or more VP off the south edge. But they could also win if at game end, they controlled 7 or more building/rubble hexes in the Russian set up zone, which was 6 hexes from 33N9. Now...long time readers of Grumble Jones will note that I have an "attention to detail" problem. It has plagued me in all aspects of my life...and it would bite me again as we began playing the scenario. You see...I stopped reading the victory conditions after seeing the "exit 22 VP" for the immediate win. So I would set up mines, etc. based on keeping Dan's Germans from exiting the board. So...it was not until the middle of Turn 1...that I would realize my error. Fortunately I realized it in time to recover...but it was another one of those embarrassing moments for me. So if you look at my initial setup and wonder to yourself..."What was he thinking?"...just know that I was in fact not thinking at all.



As the Germans, Dan would command elements of the 18th Panzer Division and 86th Infantry Division with Elefants from Schwere Panzerjaeger-Abteilung 654. Dan's force would consist of 2 x 8-3-8's, 3 x 4-6-8's and 4 x 4-6-7's led by a 9-1 and 2 x 8-1's, with an HMG and 2 x LMG's.  The armor support would consist of  1 x MKIV, 2 x MIII's, and 3 x Ferdinands with a 9-2 Armor Leader. 

Both the 18th Panzer Division and 86th Infantry Division would be disbanded before 1943 ended. Kursk would be the last major action for both formations.



The schwere Panzerjaeger-Abteilung 654 would suffer heavy losses at Kursk and in the immediate actions which followed. It would transfer it's remaining Ferdinands to the 653rd and be transferred to the Western Front, where it would fight during the Normandy Campaign with Jagdpanthers as it's principal combat vehicle.







As the defending Russians, I would command the men of the 81st Rifle Division, 275th Engineering Battalion, 27th Guards Tank Regiment and 14442nd Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment. My force would consist of 4 x 4-4-7's, 4 x 6-2-8's, led by a 9-1, 8-0 with an HMG, ATR, 2 x DC's, a Flamethrower and with 2 x Barb Wire counters, and 18 factors of mines, which I would exchange for 6 x AT Mines. My armor support would consist of 6 x T-34 M43's and 2 x SU-152's. Not too shabby on the armor side, but I was pretty sure I couldn't take on the Elefants in a frontal assault..



And now for Dan's Pre-Game Commentary:

This scenario has two different victory conditions.  First you can capture 7 of 8 victory buildings.  Or you can exit 22 EVP off the south edge as the Germans.  The Germans will need vehicles to complete either VC.  The elephants are each worth 8 EVP with crews and they are general invulnerable from attacks to their front armor.  The trick with the red movements is getting them off the board.  The Russians can exchange the AP mines for AT mines and get six factors.  These can be tank stoppers since tanks are always immobilized at a minimum by an AT mine attack.  

The attack plan is to keep open both VC options for as long as possible while avoiding the Russian set up area with elephants.  Because the Germans have few infantry they will need the tanks to support the clearing of the main building complex.  The 9-1 will lead a kill stack with the HMG and set up in the upper level of the building.  The shellhole mine clearing area will be used to clear an tank path to the main building complex for the tanks while the elephants provide over watch for the Russian tank counterattack.  Two elephants will go around the orchard and watch the open area of board 33.  Avoiding the AT mine area.  The third will attack with an engineer escort along the road on board 33 stopping just before the mines.  Then capture the buildings with infantry.  The vehicles will then engage the Russian tanks and win the tank battle then exit while the infantry capture the remaining buildings with the 9-1 kill stack closing from one flank and the engineers from another.  The Russian infantry reinforcements have very short range the Germans can out shoot them in the open ground.




The Russians set up in the center village with 4 x 4-4-7's, while the remainder of the Russian force enters on Turns 1 and 2 from the south. the 2 x SU-152 would enter last. My strategy in the beginning was to have my boys in the village occupy and delay the Germans for as long as possible, while I sent my reinforcements into position near the south board edge to prevent the Germans from exiting. Remember at this point, I still didn't realize that I couldn't let Dan just take all the buildings.

Per SSR the Germans get to drop a cluster of three shell holes which would eliminate any wire and/or mines in the selected hex. Fortunately for me, Dan didn't hit any of my mine locations.




Dan would send his Armor Schwerpunkt compete with Panzergrenadier Riders from the wheatfield in the northwest sector. A lone Elefant with and 8-3-8 would come down the central road. In the northeast, his 9-1 would have the HMG and an LMG with 2 x 4-6-8's and create the base of fire from a level one hex to support the attack. Their PREP Fire would break my 4-4-7 with the ATR. My first roll of the game would be a '12', which would reduce my 4-4-7 to a 2-2-6. Yippee...always a great way to start a game...NOT.

With no mine upfront and no other anti-tank weapons, I could only watch as Dan's tanks moved forward and adjacent to my boys. I did manage to break some riders and Dan broke a couple more as they were forced to bail due to turrets turning and MA's firing away. I did try a reaction CC attack on one of the German tanks, but failed my PAATC.



 Dan made great progress on Turn 1. My entire force in the village was nearly encircled and facing long odds against the German panzers.



In my part of Turn 1, I sent my 5 x T-34's forward with their riders to secure the remaining 3 building locations in my set up area and to set up a blocking effort on board 33 to hinder any early exits by the Germans. The good news was that the Ferdinands had only 8 MF and both had stopped. The bad news...they would be firing at my boys.



Turn 2, Dan's Elefants in the northwest would both fire, but fail to get any hits. The rest of his efforts would be focused on taking out my boys in the village. One of his MKIII's would get a KIA on my boys and set the building hex on fire. By game end the entire 4 hexes of that building would be burning.



As Turn 2 ended for the Germans, Dan had managed to get 6 building hexes. He would only need 1 more by game end to win. 

In my part of Turn 2, I moved with a purpose and would secure the remaining 3 building locations in my set up area. I also moved one SU-152 onto the level 1 hill along the south board edge, while the other moved to assist in defending the remaining building locations.



 Going into Turn 3, I had my boys positioned in the south to stop the exit. Meanwhile in Turn 2, I had managed to destroy the German MKIV. This would be a huge momentum shift for me in the game thus far.




 In Defensive Fire I would manage to take out one of the MIII's. But the Elefants were beginning to zero in on me.



Dan's Germans had taken out the first village and captured all my survivors...but I was in good position to hold on to the second village.



 Up until Turn 3, I had been relatively lucky. But now...Dan's Elefants would finally be heard from. His single Elefant in the villages would succeed in destroying two of my T-34's. And each kill from an Elefant would without fail create a burning wreck.


Show off...


 Back on the western sector, I would lose yet another T-34 to an Elefant. There was simply no way to survive any hits from the 88LL's.



 No, up until this point, Dan had not hit any of my mines...but in Turn 4, the single Elefant began to move up along the road.



And lo and behold...Dan's Elefant would hit a mine. I would roll a '12' on the effect roll, but according to the rules, the Elefant would still be immobilized. Another huge momentum shift towards the Russians. 

 It was a this point in the game that I sensed that Dan was beginning to explore the board exit strategy.  The armor battles in the villages had gone to the Russians and with my tanks in that location, it looked increasingly that Dan would have to go for the exit VP to win the game. So the remaining two Elefants began to move south.


The Elefant express was heading for the exits!!


 In the next Defensive Fire Phase, Dan's Elefants would knock out still more of my tanks including my SU-152 on the hill. My remaining SU-152 had moved out of the village to try and stop the Germans Elefants from exiting. Dan would intensive fire against it and MALF his MA. Little things like this would have big implications.





Turn 5 - Dan would send his armor forward. His last MKIII would move adjacent to my western T-34, while the two Elefants would trundle ahead. My SU-152 would get a side shot and destroy one of the Elefants.




Back on the eastern edge, Dan's 9-1 would make a desperate rush to head south. They wouldn't make it.



 As the game wound down, I would destroy the last MKIII, stop the 9-1 in the east, maintain control of the building locations and keep my SU-152 intact, when Dan's 8-3-8 missed it PAATC and didn't go into close combat with it.


After doing the necessary math, Dan conceded defeat as he didn't have the VP left to exit the board and didn't have the forces necessary to take the remaining buildings. My Russians had won by the skin of their teeth. What a game. Both Dan and I were mentally drained.



My Russians had managed to squeak out an improbable victory. There were many moments during this scenario that I was certain that Dan's forces would crush me outright. But little things kept my boys in the game and would ultimately swing the momentum once and for all to the Russians.


And now for Dan's Post-Game Commentary:
Everything went according to plan until the tank battle.  The 9-1 was able to zap the ATR squad and the tanks assaulted the buildings and infantry followed up to capture the broken Russians.  The Russians reinforcements moved into the other buildings and then things went wrong.  Two German tanks were killed with no answering kills by the Germans.  Then when the Germans started to kill Russian tanks, the mines struck, immobilizing the elephant with the 9-2 armored leader.  Good Russian use of tanks to slow movement and prevent attacking on the remaining buildings prevented pressure on both VC.  Then a second elephant broke its main gun on an intensive fire.  This led to the elephants being targets during the exit run and one being killed.  When the last tank went down it was game over as the Russians successfully held two buildings.  Well played by Scott and his Russians!  A fun scenario and good representation of the elephants in combat at Kursk.










As always, my thanks to Dan for another great Saturday of ASL. It was a great game that challenged us both from beginning to end.












Dan and I will return next Saturday for a playing of ASL Scenario 132 - Hill 253.5 Yep...right back to Kursk for a rematch....but this time, there will be OBA, Bombers, and brutal hill fighting on Board 2. I can't wait!!!



See you then!
↧

Grumble Jones November Scenario - GJ063 - Through the Summer Grain

November 1, 2018, 6:08 pm
$
0
0

For the November scenario, I returned to the early days of Operation Barbarossa. This will be the second scenario based on information gleaned from the excellent Osprey Combat Series. If you have not checked this series out, I highly recommend it. Each volume provides three combat encounters between a specific pair of combatants such as Japanese Infantry vs. Chindits or German Paras vs. British Paras, etc., etc. 

The September scenario also came from this great book. I've been buying a bunch of volumes of this series as I come across them. They really help energize scenario ideas. And they are just very interesting to read. So...I highly recommend them.

The engagement that I selected for this month's scenario also had the PSW 222 Armored Car, which I have always liked. It's just such an interesting looking vehicle. It also has a modern look that makes you think it would be right at home in some of the current conflicts. 

Creating early Russian Front scenarios is always a bit problematic as it's often difficult to find an engagement that gives the Russian player a fair chance to win. This scenario depicts a situation that quickly became hopeless for the Russians. But a historical situation like this one can create a competitive ASL scenario. The key to this one is the victory conditions and the entry decision the German player will make for his reinforcements. The Russian player also has some tough choices. Holding the farm and inflicting losses on the Germans could bring a win, but exiting a large number of troops may also bring a victory. The German player has to take the farm and stop the Russians from escaping without losing too many squads in the process and giving the Russians the CVP needed to win. 



So, as always, I hope this scenario captures the flavor of the engagement covered so well by Osprey. The December scenario is already in work and will also be on the Eastern Front, but will be a late war engagement.




As always these monthly "Basement Quality" Scenarios are offered for fun only and as a thank you to the readers of this blog.
Remember to open pictures in a new window in order to maximize the size. 

And as always, the PDF's for this scenario can be downloaded from The ASL Scenario Archive (just search on Grumble Jones).

↧

Our Satruday Game - ASL Scenario 132 - Hill 253.5

November 4, 2018, 3:34 pm
$
0
0
For our Saturday game, Dan Best and I returned for the second Saturday in a row to the battles of July 1943. Once again, we would be in the northern fighting near Ponyri, Russia. And for a second time, I would be the defending Russians against Dan's attacking Germans...and yes...an Elefant would be on the battlefield yet again!!! Another glorious Saturday night of ASL action was on hand!!! Ahhh...but the outcome would be  weee bit different.

Yep...this game would be a little harder on my ego than the past few. One of the things about ASL that I have always struggled with is creating a defense that actually works...

As I set up my defense for this game, I was convinced that it would be pretty stout. As I was to discover, it was less difficult to open than a box at Christmas time. But...I'm jumping ahead to the end...and we have a bit more blog to go before that.

Now ASL Scenario 132 - Hill 253.5 is rather old. My first playing of this venerable scenario was back in 1979. At that time is was an insert in an issue of Avalon Hill's, General Magazine. It was one of four new scenarios, which my St. Louis player group were all too excited to have available to play. I've mentioned this in previous blogs that we live in a Golden Age for ASL today. New content is all over the place. As an example I just ordered my copy of Corregidor from Bounding Fire Productions. Corregidor!?! Are you kidding me...something that esoteric was unthinkable back in 1979.  We really did grow up in the Squad Leader days, playing so much more home made content, because there was so little published content to choose from.  

For myself...I looked at my battered copy of the original insert and it's an artifact...this raggedy piece of Squad Leader history will be forty years old next year. Holy cow...am I really that old...(yep...I'm becoming a relic myself). Now name, another wargame that you played forty years ago and not only are still playing it...but more than ever before!!  ASL is truly the king of World War II board games. 



Now, after last week's post on basically the same battle, there's no need to delve deeper into the history of the fighting depicted in this scenario.

This scenario was designed by Bob McNamara. It's conversion to ASL left it largely unchanged. The airpower rules of course are quite different and Molotovs are part of the MOL capability and not individual counters as they were in Cross of Iron. But other than that, the scenario has survived very much as it was originally designed. 


The ASL Archive shows this scenario with 5 German wins and 11 Russian wins. ROAR shows it with 8 German wins and 10 Russian wins. It's previous ASL version as T7, in ROAR shows 68 German wins to 87 Russian wins. So this scenario (when played competently) is pretty much Pro-Russian. 

As the defending Russians, I would command elements of the 307th Rifle Division. My force would consist of 2 x 6-2-8's, 6 x 4-4-7's, 3 x 2-2-8's, led by a 9-1, 8-1 and 8-0 with an HMG, 2 x MMG's, 2 x LMG's, a flame-thrower, a DC and a Radio with 80mm Battalion Mortar OBA. For support I would have 2 x 76L Artys, a 45L AT Gun, 40 factors of mines and 6 x wire counters. On Turn 3, I could roll for random fighter support and on Turn 4, I would get 3 x 6-2-8's led by a 9-1 with 3 x LMG's, a truck and 2 x KV-I's. 

The Soviet 307th Rifle Division would be one of the most successful and decorated divisions in the Red Army. They would deny the Germans the high ground of Hill 253.5 in fighting that would later be described as the "Stalingrad of the Kursk Salient". The division would remain in the fight all the way to the end in Germany and though not recognized as a "Guards Division" would have a title rivaling that of many Guards Divisions...307th Rifle, Novozybkov, Order of the Red Banner, Order of Suvorov, Order of Kutzov Division.

As the attacking Germans, Dan would command elements of the 18th Panzer Division and Panzerjaeger Battalion 653. You may recall from the last Saturday's game, that Dan commanded Panzerjaeger Battalion 654. These two Panzerjaeger Battalions would figure prominently at Kursk will their large compliments of Ferdinands/Elefants. Dan's force would consist of 4 x 8-3-8's, 8 x 4-6-7's, led by a 10-2, 9-2, 9-1, 8-0 and 7-0 with 4 x LMG's, 2 x Flamethrowers, 2 x DC's and a radio with 80mm Battalion Mortar OBA. For support he would field 1 x Ferdinand/Elefant, 2 x Panthers and 2 x 250 Halftracks. 


And now for Dan's Pre-Game Comments:

The German advantage in this scenario are the three armored vehicles.  Their front armor is immune to the AT guns and Soviet tanks.  The German disadvantage is the red movement of the tanks.  Making start up a dangerous proposition.  The Infantry number a re about even and so the attacking Germans are short of good infantry assets.

Reading the AARs on this scenario (I have never played it before), the Q1 to V3 set up area allows the Germans to attack into the south flank of the Russian defense.  The Russian AT mines will be the most difficult part of the defense and all AARs say once you are past the defense and in the Russian backfield the Germans really dominate the battle.  My plan is to set up a strong schwerepunkt on the south flank and hit the Russians hard to try to get past the defense belt.  Once in the backfield we will roll up the Russians and crush them against their own fortifications.  Also I will sent the elephant to greet the reinforcements, possibly backed up by one of the panthers on the hill.  The OBA spotter will be on level 2 and try to keep the Russians from moving around and shifting defense.


The Victory conditions for this scenario require the Germans to seize and maintain control of four or more level 3 Hexes on Hill 621.  My defense was oriented on stopping the German grenadiers from moving up the middle. I had put all my wire and mines upfront to force the Germans to around either side. And Dan would oblige me by putting a massive Schwerpunkt on my left flank.



Dan's Prep Fire would devastate me. My MMG group would be wiped out and my up front LMG team would be broken. Meanwhile, my 8-0 Arty observer would be broken and never get to use the radio to contact my mortar battery. And just like that Dan had opened up my left flank. I had one surprise waiting for him, which was one of my 76L Arty's sitting in the woods in O1. I waited until his 9-2 stack was adjacent and fired...I would hit...but then roll an 11. I would intensive fire as they moved out of my covered arc and miss. I will admit that I was distraught over this. ASL is a tough game sometimes. My gun was perfectly positioned...I had waited for just he right moment to fire...and my opponent was strolling by me in the open. And the dice determined the outcome would be...nothing... Oh man, did that hurt. My entire left flank was destroyed on the very first turn of the game.




 With nothing to stop him, Dan moved his force deep into the backfield to drive up Hill 253.5 from the rear.



My 76L Arty crew would end up in Close Combat, they would win ambush and eliminate some Germans before going down.



 My HMG would manage to break some of Dan's grenadiers on the opposite hill. My boys would celebrate the little things throughout the scenario.



 Turn 2, Dan's OBA landed a spotting round, while the rest of the Germans swung around the left flank and on to the hill.  I sprayed machine gun fire all round my final MMG position, but to no avail.



Turn 2 would end with me facing a strong German force in my backfield and literally pushing me back into my own mined wire fortifications.

A look at the power of German Advancing Fire...believe it or not, I would emerge relatively unscathed. Close Combat...would be another story.

 In any game, don't let Dan get adjacent to you...because he will pounce on you in Close Combat!!!



 Ah ha...take that Dan!!! MELEE...woohoo...I'm can still fight!!



Turn 3... Dan's radio operator would fry the radio.




Dan would say goodbye to his OBA when he rolled a 6 on the next attempt to fix the radio. Just like that OBA would not be a part of tonight's game.


Dan's Schwerpunkt kept on rolling around the flank, while he sent his Elefant to prepare a reception committee for my reinforcments. A hull down Elefant...yikes...



Back on the hill my boys were just fighting for time. I needed my reinforcements badly, but the Germans were taking control of the hill so completely that my reinforcements might simply be too late to affect the outcome.

Dan managed to keep my boys DM'd, but I did get a lucky streak against his half-tracks. My last remaining 76L Arty took down one of them and my boys managed to STUN the remaining half-track and force it to Recall. So, I did manage a few blows against Dan here and there.



 Dan finally reduced me to just three pockets as we finished up Turn 3. My boys were in big trouble.



Turn 4...and the skies were abuzz with the sound of German Stukas...three of 'em…





Dan's Germans hit me hard on Turn 4 and pushed to take the hill once and for all. I fought back as best I could and my LMG Team on the far right did manage to mow down two 2-4-7's as they ran along the ridge. But weight of German firepower was too much.



 Dan's 10-2 rushed forward to complete the encirclement of my boys on the hill.



Close combats on all of my remaining positions told the story that Hill 253.5 was soon to be in the sole possession of the Wehrmacht.

As the Stukas circled overhead, my reinforcements went to the start line. They knew the hill had fallen to the Germans. They knew that they couldn't change the course of this day's fighting, but they would make a go at destroying the Elefant.



 My two KV-1's with riders charged ahead...and both would be destroyed...



"Ja, Es war sehr gut fuer Uns!!!"

Well...my 9-1 and the last remaining 6-2-8 decided that they could still take out the Elefant in close combat...so they rushed onto the board...apparently they didn't see the three Stukas lining up to shoot them up.



Well...the first Stuka failed its sighting task check and pulled away...but the second Stuka came in and drilled my boys.

"Ja, I see them!!!"




So...that was all she wrote. My day was done and Dan's Germans had won a decisive victory in just four turns.  Once Dan was in my backfield, I was really powerless to stop his juggernaut.

It's always tough to lose a game, but it's doubly so, when you are playing the side favored to win the game. Hindsight is always 20/20 of course, but I would definitely change my defense if I ever play this one again.  I really hadn't planned to defend against the kind of attack that Dan launched. With my force divided on either side of the hill and with all of my mines and wire up front...I just couldn't slow Dan down once he made it into my backfield. 

Neither of us got to use our OBA and so there's no way to know how that may or may not have affected the outcome. I would opt for AT-mines if I play this again. 

My dice were not kind to me in this game and kept me from taking advantage of my best opportunities to inflict damage on Dan.  But that's ASL...you gotta take the rolls as they come even when they punch you in the gut.

Dan's Schwerpunkt was a thing of beauty and once it got rolling, it was unstoppable. 




Dan's boys had won the day!!






And now for Dan's Post-Game Comments:



The plan worked better than I thought.  The attack found a gap in the fortifications and  moved through.  The halftracks led the way to find mines...there were none to be found.  The attack progressed well through the backfield and eliminated the Russian defense position by position.  The reinforcements were destroyed in the entry area and the stukas were unopposed.  It is very hard to counterattack against three stukas.  It was a good game.  My thanks to Scott for being a good sport and playing until the final units were lost.







My thanks to Dan for another great Saturday of ASL. 2018 has been a fantastic year and my Saturday games with Dan have been one of the highlights!





Dan and I will be back next Saturday for a playing of ASL Scenario 221 Mountain Hunters. See you then!
↧
↧

Our Saturday Game - ASL Scenario 221 - Mountain Hunters

November 12, 2018, 5:51 pm
$
0
0
For our Saturday game, Dan Best and I left the steppes of Kursk and traveled to the hills of the Crimea in 1942. Our selected scenario would be ASL Scenario 221 Mountain Hunters (designed by Chris Mazzei and Peter Struiff). 



This scenario takes place in June 1942 as the Germans and their Romanian Allies were driving on the fortress city of Sevastopol in the Crimea. This scenario was a great opportunity to play with some Axis Minor Allies and breakout one of the updated scenarios from the most Armies of Oblivion reprint. And It has Stugs!!! Everything is better with Stugs...I just love'em.

Historically, the Romanian Mountain troops with the support of the German Stugs would prevail and contribute to the German breakthrough of the Sapun Ridge.

The early summer of 1942 would have been good days for German-Romanian cooperation. 






I had not played this scenario previously, but Dan had played it as both the Romanians and the Russians. He had played it against Wes Vaughn in one instance and would use a lot of Wes' defensive setup in the battle that followed. The scenario uses board 2a. I'm a big fan of the larger 1a - 9a Boards. They have always struck me as the perfect size for the average ASL game. I suppose after so many years of the long boards, it was nice to have a new look at the game. 

The previous version of this scenario was J129. ROAR has that version as 44 Russian wins vs. 56 Romanian. The updated version in the ASL Archive is 7 Romanian wins to 9 Russian wins. In ROAR this version is 1 Romanian win and 0 Russian wins. Dan indicated that he had lost it as both the Germans and the Russians...so it must be balanced!!

As always, Dan and I would roll for sides, and I would be the Romanians and Dan the defending Russians.


As the defending Russians, Dan would command elements of the 775th, 386th Rifle Division with support from the 675th Anti-Aircraft Battalion. His force would consist of 2 x 4-5-8's, 5 x 5-2-7's, 7 x 4-4-7's,  2 x 2-2-8's led by a 10-0, 9-1, 8+1 with an HMG, MMG, 2 x LMG's, an ATR, a 50 MTR, and one DC. For support Dan would field 2 x 76* Arty's and on 37LL AA Gun. He would also have 4 x Trenches. And lastly, Building Locations K15 and M15 would be fortified fanatic locations. YIKES!!!



As the attacker, I would command the Romanian 2nd Mountain Regiment, 1st Mountain Division with Stugs from the German 249th Assault Gun Battalion. My force would consist of 6 x 5-3-7's, 12 x 4-4-7's, a 2-3-7, led by a 9-2, x 8-1's, and a 7-0 with an HMG, 3 x LMG's, a 60 MTR, a Flamethrower, and a DC. For support I would have a 47 INF Gun and 2 x Stug III B's.  A very nice size for, well equipped for the mission at hand. The Stugs would be fairly invulnerable to most of the Russian anti-tank elements.

And now for Dan's Pre-Game Comments:

"The Russians strength in this game is the weapons.  They have 37mm AA, HMG and 50mm MTR with 3 rate of fire.  Plus two infantry guns and MMG with 2 rate of fire.  Plus a ATR, DC and two LMG.  This is a lot of weapons for the 14 Russian squads.  I will set up the 10-0 commissar and one 4-5-8 with two 5-2-7 squads in the fanatic strongpoint buildings.  Then set up the trenches up the hill with the HMG and 50mm MTR.  These will support the strongpoint.  Also one infantry gun will set up in the woods to try to keep the StuGs from getting behind the strongpoints.  The 37mm AA will set up on the hill on the flank and the other infantry gun will over watch the village.  The MMG will set up in the village and the two LMG will be on the flanks.  The rest of the infantry will set up in the village.  This should defend all three VC areas well.  Hopefully they can keep them from taking two of the three."


 The victory conditions require that the Romanian Player secures two of 3 possible objectives. These are: 1) - control the 2 fortified buildings K15 and M15; 2) secure the building west of Row I; or 3) - control 5 or more of the 2nd level brush/woods hexes.

I would choose to take the fortified buildings with my Assault troops and then send the 12 x 4-4-7's to the north to secure the level 2 woods/brush hexes in that area. N8 would be the one victory hex in my setup area. I would grab two more for extra measure with the assistance of my Stugs.

I had set up my attack before I knew Dan's defense. Once I had Dan's defense, I kept my original attack setup.

With the aid of my flamethrower, I would rush the M15 building as my Stugs moved to assists. The Russians inside would break and give me an early opportunity to grab some important real estate.

I would get good production from my flamethrower and escape malf'ing it!!!

The dreaded 1st fire Boxcars. Dan's 37AA would take its first shot at one of my Stugs and promptly break. It would never fire throughout the scenario. Dan would later break one of the 76* Arty's also on its first fire. Just a total bummer...



Dan's force in the final fortified building (K15) knocked me back a bit, but his Mortar and HMG on the hill were the dominant force in Dan's defense. Dan' would have a 5 Rate of Fire tear that would eliminate two full squads.



My 60 Mortar had a great range and I would use it to good effect against Dan's efforts on my objective hill.



For my assault on the K15 building, I would send both Stugs into VBM freezes against both hexes. It would allow my boys to move up for the kill.



 My two assaults made good progress as Turn 2 came to an end.


My flamethrower managed to take out the wounded Commissar in K14 level one. Things were coming together better than I had hoped for against the fortified buildings.

Dan's mortar would plague me throughout the scenario.


 My Romanians would be very successful in the early close combats.



 By Turn 3, only a broken squad remained on level one of the K15 building. My boys had secure the fortified buildings. Objective 1 was in my control.



By this stage of the game, I was well positioned to hang on to the fortified buildings in my Objective 1 Zone. I sent a Stug towards another possible victory location and my boys in the north moved onto the hill there to secure as many of the 4 victory locations as possible. I already had one hill top position, with my Stug heading towards number 2 and my boys looking at 4 more. So I was feeling optimistic about my chances for securing my second objective. Dan's boys owned the village and his hilltop firebase continued to do damage and force me to be cautious up north.




A look at the victory locations I was working to control.

My Objective Zone 2 was held by a single 5-2-7.

They knew the odds were stacked against them!

It would be late in the game, when I finally got around to smoking Dan's HMG. No excuse for the delay. I would snake the roll for Smoke though and immediately regretted losing a possible critical hit...oh well...



I would send my DC boy up onto the south hill to control the victory location abandoned by my Stug, which moved forward to put the scare on Dan's infantry.


My remaining Stug would go no a victory location ride of doom!. I would reveal the final 76* Arty and survive its shots and then go for a serious ESB breakdown to secure another victory location. I would of course be immobilized...but as it was the final movement of the final turn...I was happy with securing an "insurance" victory location as Dan's boys moved to try and take back some on the northern hill.




I would repel most of Dan's final attack and secure 3 of the 4 victory locations on the hill. The fourth would be the sight of a vicious close combat, which would end in Melee and deny me that victory location. So securing the others with my Stugs had been a good idea.





A final look at the battle. I had been extremely lucky in taking the fortified building locations in about 2 turns. This freed up my Stugs to go after other victory locations. Dan's bad luck with his guns really helped the Romanian cause. Only one of his guns actually got to fire and trying to  hit a moving Stug proved too much for it. My infantry attack in the north played out very well. I got stung hard by Dan's hilltop firebase and lost some boys to rate of fire tears, but otherwise, my attack in the north went like clockwork. Dan simply didn't have the force necessary to defend all three possible objectives. And the beauty of the northern approach was that if Dan left the village I could have easily pivoted and made a go at those locations. So this scenario has some tough choices for the defender.


My Romanians had a great win. This was certainly one of those rare scenarios that I felt very good about my odds from start to finish. Once the first fortified building fell, I felt very good about winning this one. The scenario itself is very enjoyable. I loved the choice of 2 out of 3 victory objectives. It made it tough on the defender, but it definitely adds some fog of war as your opponent has to guess what objectives your attempting to take. Dan's hilltop fire group was the hero of the game. The mortar and HMG combo up there kept me honest and was able to interdict my movements across the entire map. Whenever I forgot, Dan's HMG would remind me that big brother controlled the valley.



And now for Dan's Post-Game comments:

"Well the combination of a good attack by Scott and bad rolling made this plan not work.  Scott attacked the hill on the flank and the strongpoint.  Using VBM sleeze he took the strongpoint with little problems.  Two or my guns malfed on the first shot.  The AA was a big loss, making the capture of the hill very likely.  His StuGs even managed to capture two extra hills.  Well played by Scott and a good game.  This scenario is fun and can be replayed several times with different game each time.  Good fun scenario."




"Bad rolls...bad rolls...what ya gonna do...what ya gonna do when they DM you!?! Bad rolls...bad rolls what ya gonna do!?!"

Dan and I will return next week with a playing of ASL Scenario T6 - The Dead of Winter...extreme cold and deep snow...should be fun!!! See you next week!
↧

Grumble Jones Bonus November Scenario - GJ064 - SNAP FREEZE

November 17, 2018, 2:27 pm
$
0
0
So...there I was just sitting and looking at the weather and how freaking cold is already and I thought about the movie, the Day after Tomorrow, where a snap freeze occurs and basically kills anyone outside.

And then I remembered reading in some book long ago about Germans in Russia coming upon a platoon of Russian Cossacks in forest clearing and all of them were frozen stiff as if they had died suddenly from the extreme cold.




So naturally, here at Grumble Jones...we said to ourselves...sounds like a scenario!!! So after a brief conversation with my buddy, Dan Best, I decided to create a fun scenario that would use the Hollis Map...since we need more scenarios for this great little map. The Hollis Map is included in the Kansas City ASL Club's  March Madness Hollis Scenario Pack.

http://kansascityasl.com/html/publications.html  --- In case you don't already own the Hollis Map, you can purchase it from the link above! 


The scenario itself is a combination of Musical Chairs meets ASL. Prior to play, both players rolls 1d6 to see who moves first. Both players will enter from the same board edge and both will be rushing to occupy the few buildings on the map in order to survive the extreme cold. The longer units are in the open weather, the more likely they are to succumb to the bitter cold and be lost. So both players will be fighting not just each other but the weather as well.  And the buildings are not large enough to house more than a squad in some cases....so each player will need to occupy every building in order to save their boys.

The scenario does not take place at night, as I just didn't want to add that extra detail to the game play, but the idea is that this scenario takes place as the sun is beginning to set and will be down by the end of play. So it's a rush to find shelter before the sun dies.

So heed the warning of Ned Stark and get your boys into the available shelter as soon as you can and then don't let the other guys inside!

Here's hoping this crazy scenario offers a bit of fun in front of the fire place and better yet...in front of the fireplace at Hollis!!!






As always these monthly "Basement Quality" Scenarios are offered for fun only and as a thank you to the readers of this blog.
Remember to open pictures in a new window in order to maximize the size. 
And as always, the PDF's for this scenario can be downloaded from The ASL Scenario Archive (just search on Grumble Jones).


Stay warm my friends!
↧
Search

Our Saturday Game - ASL Scenario T6 The Dead of Winter

November 18, 2018, 3:55 pm
$
0
0

For our Saturday game, Dan Best and I went into the deep freeze! We selected ASL Scenario T6 The Dead of Winter, which has deep snow and extreme winter for the EC. It's been a while since I played a scenario with Extreme Winter (E3.74). Extreme Winter is a really bad deal and would be especially harsh on the Germans in this scenario. Essentially, for those tanks, guns and support weapons operating in the outdoors, the weapon breakdown# decreased by 2. So you can imagine the impact upon things like Intensive Fire suddenly become far riskier. An "8" breakdown number would be in play for an intensive fire shot and would lead to a gun malfunction at a critical moment in the game.

While winter weather can often be quite beautiful...I shudder to imagine what is ws like to fight in the extreme cold of the Russian Front day after day. I grew up in the mountains of NE Tennessee on the  Virginia border and in the 1960's-1970's weather was pretty  normal and I grew up thinking that 32 F was cold...like really cold. My father got transferred to St. Louis, MO in 1978...and I still remember my first trip to St. Louis and waiting for a rental car outside of Lambert Field....and it was freaking cold man!! Coldest I had ever been...that summer would also be the hottest I had ever experienced as well. St. Louis had become my personal weather hell. Of course, I married a girl from Minneapolis, MN...and I thought I had experienced cold....but I was wrong. Christmas walks around Lake Harriet or Lake Calhoun were on another level of misery, which my Minnesota in-laws seemed to have no issues with. Walking from the car to a University of Minnesota basketball game with my father-in-law...I thought my ears had actually fallen off. Holy cow...my thin Southern blood could not then and still cannot cope with extreme cold. And yet here I  sit in frigid Western Illinois. One day my exile from my beloved Blue Ridge Mountains will end....but for now winter is a part of my life.

Scenario T6 takes place northwest of Staritsa, Russia on December 29th, 1941. At this time, fresh Siberian units were coming into the line for the Russians and helping to launch counter-attacks against the over extended Germans, who were ill-equipped to survive the artic winter that had arrived in Russia. 

ROAR has this scenario with 77 Russian Wins and 96 German Wins. The ASL Archive has it with 5 Russian Wins and 11 German Wins. So this scenario is definitely pro-German based on the logged games.


The scenario utilizes half of board 4 with the Russians entering from the east edge and needing to exit at least 20 VP on the southwest board edge between AA1 and GG1.

Now, I  have explained that I fail to understand the victory conditions from time to time. And I would once again completely muff it with this scenario. I thought I had to exit off the west board edge and you will see from my attack that I was completely off my medications.

This has become a bit of a chronic problem for me personally of late. Some of it is attributable to job stress. I'm busy working on establishing a brand new supply chain in Thailand for items currently made in China thanks to some ill-conceived tariffs. So my job stress is off the charts and beginning to affect my personal life in unpleasant ways. But nonetheless, I am going to have be much more focused and diligent for our future games. My opponents certainly deserve my best effort based on the correct understanding of the scenario objectives.









After rolling for sides, Dan would be the defending Germans of the 18th Regiment of the 26th Infantry Division. The 26th would participate in the invasion of France, before finding itself on the Eastern Front. It would see action during the Battle of Kursk and following that debacle, would be absorbed into another division. The Division would be resurrected as the 26th Volksgrenadier Division and ultimately surrender to the Western Allies at the end of the war.

Dan's force would consist of 3 x 4-6-7's led by a 9-2 and 8-1 with an MMG, LMG, 6 x trenches and with a 37L AT Gun and dug in MIV with a 75* MA. 



As the attacking Russians, I would command elements of the 31st Soviet Army. This army was formed at the end of 1941 with the goal of creating a strong defensive line in the Moscow sector. It would be active for the duration of the war, crossing the Dneiper, liberating Brest and finally ending the war in the East Prussian campaign. My force would consist of  6 x 6-2-8's, led by an 8-1 and 8-0 with a radio less platoon of T-34/M40's. This would of course force me to use armored platoon movement which I absolutely detest. 

And now for Dan's Pre-Game Comments:

For the Germans the key to this scenario is stopping one tank.  The Russian tanks are each work 7 EVP and can win the scenario alone.  The Russian infantry will likely be too slow to make an exit in the 5 movement phases.  The German AT gun and tank must get rear shots to be effective.  The German tank does not get much option to be concealed or hidden at set up.  So I will set up at the cross roads where it can cover both the hedge road and main road with the co-ax MG.  It will get some side shots as the Russians go for exit.  The trenches can bog the Russian tanks on a roll of 10 or higher with the snow.  So they will set up as a barrier between the woods in GG4 and BB2.  The German AT gun will set up hidden in GG4.  It will cover the exit hexes and go for rear shots as the Russian tanks exit.  IT will be protected by the 8-1 leader with the DC.  The leader will need the DC to avoid non-qualified use.  I will deploy one squad to be in the trenches and hopefully get a chance at CC with the tanks.  The 9-2, squad and MMG will set up in Building X1 backed up by the squad in LMG in CC6.  Their main job is to delay the Russian infantry.  If the 9-2 can inflict 9 CVP in infantry casualties and one tank is immobilized or knocked out the Germans will win.


OK...so as I have already pointed out much to my embarrassment....my plan was to drive straight across the snow covered steppes and exit the west board edge. I was completely oblivious to the actual exit location until nearly Turn 3...when I started to question why Dan's trench  line was where it was.



 With my infantry accompanying my tanks, I rolled onto the snowy steppes.

              But Dan's 9-2 was tracking my every move...


 Dan's MMG and LMG both poured it on and broke and KIA'd my boys.



Turn 2...my T-34's carried on without their infantry. Dan's 9-2 was making the center a killing ground, which I simply could not cross. But...then something else happened. The Soviet Sniper managed to land on Dan's dug-in MKIV, which was CE. This would stun the tank and force it button up and take an additional +1 penalty on all shots.








Thanks Sniper chick! I needed all the help I could get!

Turn 3....my infantry continued to suffer at the hands of Dan's MMG team with the 9-2. The LMG had broken and then been destroyed while trying to fix it. Dan's dug-in MKIV had MALF'd its MA and would not fire again for the duration of the game. I sent my tanks right at it and would spend one turn shooting at him...but to no effect.

At this stage of the game...I finally figured out where I was actually supposed to exit the board and realized that I would have to cross Dan's trench line and risk bogging in order to exit the map...not to mention facing his grenadiers waiting for me with a DC. Oh and the German AT Gun was sitting in the GG4 woods waiting for rear shots...which I would be oh so happy to give him.



My remaining 6-2-8's were bent on revenge and made their way to take on Dan's 9-2. Four of their brethren squads had been mauled. Time for some payback.

Dan's 9-2 was not worried in the slightest...






Turn 4...it was time to make a run for the exit...now that I actually knew where it was.

Dan's boys would be waiting...


Dan's 8-1 had the DC and rushed up to hurl it onto one of my passing T-34's.

He would miss and be broken by the collateral damage attack...things were going wrong for the Germans at just worst moment...


As I continued my crossing of the German Trench line...I gave Dan's PAK 36 all the rear shots it could have hoped for. Honestly, I could not have made dumber moves if I had tried...

Unfortunately for Dan, his AT Gun would get hits, but no armor penetrations.


To compound Dan's woes, one of his 2-4-7's missed the PAATC to attack one of my tanks as it passed over their trench. The momentum was solidly Russian at this point in the game.

Back in the east, my 6-2-8's had crept up and into Close Combat with the German 9-2.









To this point, he had been the hero of the game. His men had shattered the Russian infantry and would take down yet another squad in Close Combat before all was said and done.



 Ever the gracious opponent, Dan had pointed out that I might want to swing my turrets backwards as my tanks attempted to leave he battlefield. This would prove to be a great bit of advice. As German infantry moved to attack, I was able to machine gun and break a few. Additionally, his AT-Gun's hits on my Turrets would save my tanks from destruction. Time was running out for the Germans...


In Dan's final movement turn...he sent a 2-4-7 into Close Combat with one of my T-34's. All Dan needed to do was to stop one T-34 and he would secure the victory. He needed a snake eyes to do anything...



 And...holy cow...HE ROLLED SNAKE EYES!!! But...then he rolled a four and no result. My tank would escape.



 Back in the east, I would manage to break the 9-2 and squad. 

My last 6-2-8 would finally get some payback.


 In Rout Phase, Dan's 9-2 and squad would be eliminated...


In the final turn, all three of my T-34's would exit the board for 20 VP as one had a Malf'd MA. None of my infantry would exit. Dan had eliminated my 8-1 and 5 of my 6-2-8's. I had won by the slimmest of margins and honestly felt like I didn't deserve the win. I had done so many things wrong and it was only by pure luck and German missed opportunities that I managed to successfully exit three tanks off the map. ASL can be a strange game at times and often rewards random luck as often as bold tactical skills.



And now for Dan's post-game comments:

Well everything went as expected.  The 9-2 group stopped the infantry, inflicting 12 CVP before being eliminated.  However, the Russian tanks were tough to kill.  The German tank broke its MA on the second shot and never repaired.  The AT gun got three hits.  Two hits on the rear armor but the rounds bounced and the third hit was on the turret.  The AT gun then broke and could not be repaired.  The 8-1 threw the DC and got a bad placement DR.  The infantry even rolled snake eyes on CC and had a 50% chance of immobilization or destruction.  And missed the roll.  All three tanks passed their bog checks.  All three tanks exited for victory.  It is well earned after all those tank traps.  Congratulations to Grumble Jones on another victory!
Nicely done and a good game.  This scenarios is a good primer for winter ASL.


Dan and I will take a break for the Thanksgiving Holiday and be back in the saddle on December 1st for a playing of Operation Veritable Scenario HS17 Water Foul. This scenario is unlike anything you've seen in any previous AAR...so it should be very interesting!


To all of my readers, I wish you and your families the happiest of Thanksgivings...may your travels be swift and safe...your time with family filled with joy and festivity and may we all be thankful for the blessings bestowed upon us here in these United States. And to my international readers, may you and your families share joy and happiness in your fall and winter holidays as well. Though divided by many nations...we are united in our thankfulness for our shared blessings.
↧

Our Saturday Game - ASL Scenario HS17 - Water Foul

December 2, 2018, 8:21 pm
$
0
0
For our Saturday Game, Dan Best and I decided to play a scenario from the Operation Veritable Historical CG. Our selection would be ASL Scenario HS17 Water Foul. This would be my fist opportunity to play something from Operation Veritable. Like a lot of folks, I tend to shy away from scenarios involving water landings, but this scenario looked very manageable and with Dan's help, I was able to "navigate" my way through the rules. This would be my 50th scenario of 2018.There was a time, when I couldn't have imagined playing 50 scenarios in a single year. And now I have played 50 or more in two consecutive years. Much of this is due to the opportunity to play Dan each weekend. Having a reliable opponent with a keen interest to play every weekend is a great thing!

Huh...not fifty cent...Fifty Scenarios!! I often heard it said that to really become good at ASL you have to play around 50 games a year. That may be true for some...but I imagine I need more than 50!!!

All kidding aside, I definitely find my game mechanics improving. I attack with more confidence and less trepidation than I did in the past. I use half-squads in the advance more than every before and I have learned how to build a wall of residual fire that has served me well in many a game. 


ASL Scenario HS17 -Water Foul (designed by Ken Dunn) depicts the events of the Canadian assault on German positions in the area of Niel, Germany. Niel rests near the German-Dutch border. In 1945, it had been flooded after the Germans had disabled Rhine River flood controls. A view of Niel today makes it hard to imagine this area completely flooded in February 1945.

In addition to water rules, this scenario also takes place a night, but with all hexes under illumination it was easier to play than many other night scenarios. 


ROAR has this scenario with 7 German wins and 7 Canadian wins. The ASL Archive has it with 1 German win and 1 Canadian win. So...this would appear to be a balanced scenario...but the complexity of this scenario with waterborne landings and night rules would make it more likely to be played by veteran players. That said, I personally think this one makes a great introductory scenario to both water and night rules.



After rolling for sides, Dan would be the Germans and command elements of the 84th Infantry Division. The 84th was severely mauled in the Normandy Campaign with nearly 5500 of its men lost in rearguard actions at Falaise. By the time of Operation Veritable, the Division had been rebuilt. As a static coastal type division, its platoons were heavily equipped with KAR 98's with MG42 Platoons. As had been the case in Normandy, the division was heavily supplied with Panzerfausts. Other anti-tanks assets would be sorely lacking. Dan's force would consist of 4 x 4-4-7's, 5 x 4-3-6's, a 2-2-8, led by an 8-1, 2 x 7-0's, with an MMG, 2 x LMG's, a Panzerschreck and 37L AT Gun. And their ELR would be '1'. Talk about a brittle force. Dan's 4-3-6's would disrupt each time they broke. A '1' ELR is simply unforgiving. Dan would face a challenging task to hold off Canadian 4-5-8's.


As the attacking Canadians, I would command elements of the 1st Canadian Scottish Regiment, 7th Infantry Brigade and 79th Armoured Division. The Canadian Scottish Regiment has a storied history. It would earn battle honors throughout the First World War and would earn honors for the Normandy, Rhineland, and Northwest Germany Campaigns of the Second World War.  My force would consist of 12 x 4-5-8's, a 2-4-8, led by a 9-1, 8-1, and 7-0 with 4 x LMG's, a 51 MTR, and a Piat with 4 x Buffalos and 4 x DUKW's. My force would start the scenario in their amphibious vehicles and entering from the west board edge behind a smoke screen filling an entire hex row from north to south. 

The victory conditions were very simple (and yes Vitus...I read them closely!!!). The Canadians would win immediately upon controlling all buildings. With only six turns of game play, I would have to move with a purpose!


And now for Dan's Pre-Game Comments:
For the Germans the key to this scenario is getting some kills on vehicles, especially before the infantry unload.  Once the Canadians get into the buildings the fighting will be hard for the Germans with the lower morale and with the low ELR there will not be many rallies.  The German set up will defend the larger island.  The set up will be that every hex with buildings will have a squad adjacent to use PFs on any landing vehicles.  The open area will be covered by the AT gun and the MMG to lay a fire lane.  The PSK will be in the center hex to shoot between the buildings.  With an average of two squads in each vehicle any kill has a chance of stopping some infantry.  Finally on the smaller island a conscript will deploy to defend the upper level of each building hex.  Hopefully they will distract more troops than a single squad.

My attack plan was divided into three parts. I knew Dan would have a few boys HIP and the 37L AT Gun was a real threat. I needed to get on land as soon as possible. My Buffalos were heavily armed and would make great mobile foxholes for my boys. Of course the danger was that my infantry could take big losses if Dan's Panzerfausts connected and destroyed my Buffalos and DUKW's while they were still loaded with squads. It would be a calculate risk on my part.



I would send one group towards the far island and another single DUKW towards the southern end of the big island. The remainder of my force would make for the open beach.



My initial moves would be met with very little German response. Only in the south would the Germans unload on me.

Panzerfausts would be my biggest concern.


 Dan would take out the DUKW, but my boys would make the crew survival and move into Close Combat!



MELEE...Dan and I would end up in MELEE for much of the game. Neither of us could close out the close combats.




 Dan's dice woes would come early and often. He would MALF an LMG, his MMG, and his 37L AT Gun. His Panzerfaust checks would result mostly in no PF or in his unit being Pinned. For much of the game I felt like Dan was facing two opponents...my Canadians and his dice.



Dan's 37L AT would reveal and fire away as my Buffalos and DUKW's came up on the island. But Dan's shots would miss. With the NVR and motion, getting hits was challenging.


 Dan's 8-1 with the MMG would unload on my boys, but I would manage to survive.



In the south, Dan would pin my squad and send a 4-3-6 into Close Combat. More Melees would be the result.

Dan's boys would come at me throughout the game.


 With his dice working against him, Dan would MALF the AT Gun and eventually destroy it in a Repair Attempt. A key element of Dan's defense was removed. In the same breath, his MMG would MALF and give me the opportunity to close with his strongest position.

My Canadians would rush the German 8-1 and get into close combat. This would be the longest of al the close combats and leave me exasperated as I kept rolling 10's and 11's when all I needed was an 8 or less to win.

I'll admit it...I was letting my failure to close out the main Melee through three close combat phases get to me. I had 3-1 odds and couldn't take care of business.

 I would MALF one of my AA guns on a Buffalo, but by and large, my boxcars would be few in comparison to Dan's.

 By the end of Turn 2 I was in good position to make a push for the buildings on the main island.



My sniper would play a critical role in the game. On two occasions, my sniper would DM German squads locked in Melee. I would then eliminate those squads when they tried to withdraw from Melee. 

As I always say..."never underestimate the value of the sniper".

 
 Turn 3 - I landed on the small island and found that two 2-3-6's were hidden in the building. 



 On the main island, I had pushed the Germans back from their mainline and was coming up from the south as well.


 The Melee in the center continued...much to my ongoing dismay.



 By Turn 4, I had taken the small island and was sending my boys to the south to mop up the big island. Dan was down to his 7-0 and a 4-4-7.

Dan's 7-0 had no illusions about his situation.

I would finally close out the Melee in the center, but Dan's 7-0 would launch into close combat with my boys. It was a bold move...but he would roll high and I would roll low and the 7-0 and 4-4-7 would be eliminated.


A final look at the battle. With all the Germans eliminated, my Canadians were free to take control of all the buildings and win the game. We had completed four turns. And for the most part, the scenario had been very tough on Dan's Germans. With just a bit better rolls, Dan might have been able to inflict some serious damage on my Canadians and possibly retain control of a few buildings. But it wasn't mean to be and my Canadians had the win.




My assessment of the nights gaming was mixed. I thought the scenario was a good one and presented a lot of new tactical challenges. I took a ton of risks and was not punished due to Dan's unlucky dice. Historically the Canadians were dealt some hard blows due to Panzerfausts. I would lose two vehicles to Panzerfausts, but these did not affect my infantry, which were the key asset on my side. 

For the Germans, I think the '1' ELR may be a bit too harsh. A 4-3-6 has a hard enough life as it is, but to be disrupted the first time it breaks is pretty brutal.  But that's ASL. As always, my thanks to Dan for a great night of ASL. Win or lose, playing ASL always makes for a great day!


And now for Dan's Post-Game Comments:

While the plan worked it was undone by terrible dice rolls.  8 missed PF shots with 3 pin results.  The 8 PFs that did shoot only one hit.  With more damage from backblast including another 2 pins and one broke.  The AT gun, PSK, MMG and one LMG all broke on second shots (first for PSK) and none were fixed.  Going into CC was not a good result for the Germans as the Canadian sniper twice fired into the melee and broke the Germans.  It was all over by turn 4 with the last German unit aggressively going into CC concealed and losing.  Good game attack by the Canadians and another victory for Grumblejones!  Looking forward to our next game.






With the holidays fast approaching and work related challenges affecting both Dan and I...we appear to have at least one more Saturday game remaining for 2018. It's been a fantastic year of ASL...just amazing...but I'll highlight 2018 in another blog post. The December Scenario is done and is a big one...so get ready! 

For our last Saturday Game of 2018, Dan I are planning to play a scenario from Lone Canucks' Bloody Buron CG. Zoot Suit Boys will be the scenario and a fitting scenario to close out the year.

Thanks everyone for following our ASL exploits over the past year!
↧
↧

Grumble Jones December Scenario GJ065 - Friends or Enemies?

December 6, 2018, 7:04 pm
$
0
0
The December Grumble Jones scenario and the last one for 2018 takes us back to the Eastern Front and in the operational zone of the Panzergrenadier Division - Grossdeutschland. In the late summer of 1944, the Germans were falling back into Romania and towards the Carpathian Mountains. The Romanians, weary of war, found themselves in the unfortunate predicament of trying to ease themselves out of the war while fighting alongside their German Allies. The war in Russia had not brought any benefit to Romania and their losses in men and material had been grievous. Even as their German Allies turned to make a stand and halt the Soviet Juggernaut, the Romanians began negotiating with the Soviets to find a way out. It would of course mean turning on their one-time German Allies.
 
GJ065 takes place during the fighting around Targul-Frumos (Targu Frumos), Romania. The Grossdeutschland Division along with the 3rd SS Panzer Division Totenkopf would inflict server losses on the Russians during the heavy fighting at Targul Frumos. It would also be one of the first occasions where the Soviets committed their heavy IS-II Tanks.


My inspiration for the scenario came from a picture that I has always intrigued me from the book, God, Honor, Fatherland by Thomas McGuirl and Remy Spezzano. Thee are host of books out there on the Grossdeutschland, but this is certainly one of my favorites.





The picture that intrigued me shows a scene with a Grossdeutschland and Totekopf officer in discussion. The contrast between the two men has always fascinated me.

The officer on the right is Oberleutnant Hans-Karl Richter of the Grossdeutchland. He is in discussion with an SS Hauptsturmfuehrer of the Panzer Regiment 6 "Theodor Eicke" of the 3rd SS Panzer Division, Totenkopf. 

A quick look at their boots and uniforms shows clearly the contrast between the two men. At this point in the battle, Richter had already been in heavy fighting at Targul Frumos and was briefing his opposite as the Totenkopf Division relieved Grossdeutschland in the line. 

One wonders immediately as the nature of the SS Hauptsturmfuehrer's combat role. My first impression would be that he is a staff officer and likely to have been attached to a divisional headquarters. Boots that highly polished would seem to have been a rarity in the muddy fields  that made up the Targul Frumos battlefield. 

Other images of this period showing Totenkopf personnel working with Wehrmacht units show a more battle ready attire. 

God, Honor, Fatherland does not provide any detail on the SS Hauptsturmfuehrer and further indicates that Richter himself would not see the officer again.

So his later fate is unknown to us.



But while reading about this encounter I came across the data, which would inspire this month's scenario. At one point in the battle, Richter's SPW platoons would strung out on the German flank. Their supporting Romanian Artillery had gone silent and a trench line of Romanian infantry had been abandoned, leaving a dangerous gap in the German position. As Soviet T-34/85'began assaulting, Richter was forced to find cover behind a railroad embankment. Disaster was averted only with the timely arrival of armor from the Totenkopf Division, which pushed the Soviets back and restored the line. 

As an elite division, the Grossdeutschland was heavily covered by the German Kriegsberichters (Photographers). Of particular note are the many pictures of Romanian and German troops working together. These of course had huge propaganda value and conveyed to Germans on the home front that the Wehrmacht was not going it alone on the Russian Front. 

But the truth of course would be very different and the Germans would see many of their Allies fade away as their fortunes declined...Italians, Romanians, Hungarians, and Finns would all seek a separate peace with the Soviet Union. 





The December scenario attempts to depict the actions of Richter's Half-Tracks and Panzergrenadiers as they try to hang on against Soviet Armor until relief arrives from the Totenkopf Division. Romanians are present at the beginning of the scenario and present a conundrum. On Turn 1 and only on Turn 1, the German Player can choose to send his Romanians for the exit. This is of course what occurred historically. But...the German Player can decide to keep them on the field. If so, he must roll a d6 each Rally Phase to see if the Romanians switch sides and join cause with the Russians. If by Turn 4, the Romanians have not joined the Russians, they automatically throw in their lot with the Germans and fight with them till the end of the scenario. So...the German Player can be cautious and ensure that the Romanians do not join with the Russians or he can roll the dice and see if he can keep them on the field and bring them into his active OOB. Will you take that risk?

This month's scenario is a bit larger than what I usually put out there and the SSR's are important to the game. Hopefully, its clear as the mud at Targul Frumos and folks will find the scenario enjoyable. 



The board setup.


As always these monthly "Basement Quality" Scenarios are offered for fun only and as a thank you to the readers of this blog. 

Remember to open pictures in a new window in order to maximize the size. 



And as always, the PDF's for this scenario can be downloaded from The ASL Scenario Archive (just search on Grumble Jones).



Thanks everyone for your support and readership this past year. I made a pledge to provide a scenario each month and expect to continue that in 2019...(some of you will cheer and others may cringe!!!) but I look forward to the challenge of creating something worthwhile each month.

Thanks again!
↧

Signing off for 2018 a bit early this year...

December 11, 2018, 10:46 am
$
0
0

Just a quick post to let my readers know that there will not be any further "Our Saturday Game" AAR's for the remainder of the year. Dan Best and I were scheduled to play this coming Saturday, but due to tragic fire that destroyed my son's apartment, I will be in Tulsa this weekend to help him out with anything he needs.




My son was fortunate to escape from the fire, but one of his neighbors was killed escaping from his second story apartment. My son has found a place to stay as have 15 of his other neighbors who also lost their apartments. The Red Cross and Salvation Army have been assisting. And fortunately, I had purchased insurance for my son, so he will be receiving assistance from State Farm. (Renters Insurance is always a good investment if you have never considered it.)



Not much more to say. I am extremely grateful that my son is safe and that so many people have offered their assistance. Christmas will be especially happy for our family this year. We have much to be thankful for. Our prayers go out to the family who lost a loved one to this fire.

While, there will not be any more AAR's until January 5th, I will be posting the year end scenario collection for 2018...the "From Your Momma's Basement II" pack will be posted shortly.

Thanks everyone!
↧

Grumble Jones 2018 Scenario Pack - "From Your Momma's Basement II"

December 16, 2018, 8:59 pm
$
0
0

It's that time of year again, when all the year's scenarios are put together in one post. 2018 was a great year for flexing my creative muscles and putting together scenarios from the Bulge to Kursk to Ortona. This year's Halloween scenario was a departure from zombies...but dinosaurs may have been a bridge too far...eh!?! 

My "basement quality" scenarios are provided each month as a thank you to my readers. 2018 has been a blast and I look forward to 2019's scenarios. Thanks again for spending your valuable time here at Grumble Jones. See you again in 2019.














As always these monthly "Basement Quality" Scenarios are offered for fun only and as a thank you to the readers of this blog.

Remember to open pictures in a new window in order to maximize the size. 

And as always, the PDF's for these scenarios can be downloaded from The ASL Scenario Archive 

(just search on Grumble Jones).

↧
Viewing all 553 articles
Browse latest View live
Search