Author	treadasaurusrex (Germany)
Method	VASSAL
Victor	Germany
Participants	tlangston28
Play Date	2022-05-26
Language	English
Scenario	FaoF013

This was an exciting and entertaining, 7-session play-through with the methodical, tlangston28, as the French Commander. We used the optional smoke, consolidation, excess initiative, and dispensed with the defense-biased, Fog of War rule in this play-through. I played the defending German Kampfgruppe Beck-Broichsitter from the Grossdeutschland Division: a reinforced, combat engineer-heavy, combined-arms battalion, supported by – of all things – a half-strength self-propelled Bufla (SPAA/AT) platoon.

This scenario included an epic 7-turn German defense of the town hex 0510, before the AT platoon was finally destroyed by the attacking French. A great deal of fierce, close assault fighting in the wooded hexes surrounding this small village characterized most of this play-through. The large-scale German counterattack began on turn 10 after their reinforcements entered on the previous game turn. By the end of game turn 19, French step losses totaled 22 including 2 platoons of FCM36 light tanks. Surprisingly, given the amount of urban close assault combat in this encounter, the Germans ended up losing no steps of infantry.

Ultimately the German side prevailed in what was a knife-edge, German-favoring, scenario. This scenario is very tough for the French Commander as in nearly every activation, he or she, is confronted by the need to make decisions by choosing the lesser of two potentially hazardous options.

The Final score was: 16 victory points for the French, compared to the German total of 26, for a major Axis victory.