Author	treadasaurusrex (United States)
Method	VASSAL
Victor	United States
Participants	Col. Sonichu
Play Date	2022-11-13
Language	English
Scenario	IN44007

This was a 4-session play-through with the fearless and well-organized, Col. Sonichu, as the defending German Commander. We played with the stultifying Fog of War, and also the smoke/illum, consolidation, extended assault, strategic movement, American Spotter Aircraft and excess initiative optional rules. I led the attacking American combined arms force.

The first session (game turns 1-4) featured a lengthy American movement-to-contact that came in the form of converging, left & right flank prongs starting from the south margin of Map 106. The immediate US objective was the 20-meter hill in the southwest quadrant of the battle map. While this was being secured, a company of German panzergrenadiers moved to setup a right flank, blocking position west of the main ridge. The US left flank movement countered this move, and then ran into a serious amount of close range automatic weapons fire resulting in the loss of 2 steps of infantry! The other portion of this prong was able to move into position to closely cover the western margin of the German-occupied ridge. The American right flank movement continued north, and was able to take advantage of a retrograde move by a German company from its forward position below the east margin of the ridge. This location was rapidly liberated by the advancing US troops.

The 2nd session (game turns 5-9) was characterized by the beginning of decisive, close-range engagements on the ridge overlooking the crucial north-south N-13 Road; and during game turns 8-9, in the vicinity of Fauville. A German infantry gun emplacement on the ridge was eliminated in turn 5 as American troops unsuccessfully attempted to gain a foothold on the north margin of the ridgetop. On the opposite, southern margin, heavy direct fire was exchanged for 3 turns before a German unit took a step loss. Up the road, during turns 7-9, the single M-4 tank platoon and an infantry company began surrounding the garrison in Fauville. Unexpectedly, the armored unit was able to sneak around the Boche garrison to liberate Fauville’s north town hex (0803) in game turn 9. A headlong, and costly American thrust to try and pin a pair of German mortar platoons on the NE portion of the ridgetop, failed miserably. Step losses were tied at 2 apiece at the end of game turn 9.

The third session (game turns 10-14) was generally a dismal experience for the defending Germans who absorbed 10 additional step losses, while the attacking Americans lost 2 more steps. Unexpectedly, both the US close assault atop the ridge adjoining the N-13 road, and in Fauville were successful in game turn 10. With Fauville fully-liberated, there followed a series of close range firefights and close assaults to clear the hexes on both sides if the east-west ridge. The bold German probe in the SW quadrant of the map continued to effectively pin down the American Commander and a couple of, oft-disrupted, infantry platoons for the balance of this session. A German infantry company ensconced itself close to the junction of the N-13 road and the east-west trail, in hopes of maintaining a position on the crucial north-south road to the end of the scenario.

The 4th session (game turns 15-16) featured widely scattered, but intense, close-range fighting as the German side sought to maintain a viable presence on the north-south N-13 road. In the end, this effort was in vain, as German losses continued to mount and their positions were gradually overwhelmed in close assaults and adjacent-hex firefights. The final tally of step losses was 20 for the Germans and 4 were lost by the American force.

By mutual agreement, we called the game at the beginning of turn 17 and filed it as a major American victory as all 4 US victory objectives were clearly destined for rapid accomplishment, as there was only a single half-strength grenadier unit left. I give this over-long and unbalanced scenario a generous 3, mostly because it was fun to play online with my gracious and hard-fighting opponent.

At the end of this play-through, only had 4 turns had been shortened by the FOW rule.

Suggestions for play improvement include: reducing the length of this scenario from 22 to around 18 turns, and increasing the defending German contingent by at least one more Panzergrenadier infantry company, with an additional junior leader.