Author	treadasaurusrex (France)
Method	VASSAL
Victor	Germany
Participants	Jockulus
Play Date	2024-06-14
Language	English
Scenario	FaoF019

This was an 8-session introductory play-through with the capable & gracious, Jockulus, commanding the 1st Battalion of the German Grossdeutschland Infantry Regiment defending the high ground around the 2-hex village of Stonne. I led the relatively-high-morale, attacking French contingents of the 6th Infantry Division. We used with the FOW, smoke/illum, hidden units, strategic movement, extended assault and excess initiative optional rules. We also used 2 house rules: 1) Road Movement for Mechanized & Foot Units All FOOT & MECHANIZED units may move on roads at the rate of 1/2 a Movement Point (MP) per road hex, just like MOTORIZED units, and 2) Standardized Movement for Mechanized Units All mechanized units may move through clear hexes at a movement cost of only 1 movement point (MP) per hex, instead of 1 1/2. Add one to this cost if moving up or down slopes hexes. Both sides drew decent sets of leaders and the entire German force started the game in hidden mode. The rule set we used worked very well in this play-through.

The initial session (game turns 1- part of 4) featured an uncharacteristically daring French movement to contact from the west edge of the Map 27 in 3 divergent prongs. The French were under long-range and direct opportunity fire almost immediately as the left flank column moved to the East on the northwest margins. Probing French units moved slowly from northwest to southeast across the battle map identifying the locations of dug-in German positions in & around Stonne clustered on the 40-meter contour line. This was costly as the Germans drew first blood be halving a pair of snooping French infantry platoons. Meanwhile, scouting French armor on the right flank moved into staging position on the converging roads. The central French infantry column made very slow progress on the winding road on the southeast margins of the large hill mass topped by the 2-hex town of Stonne, on Map 27. As the first 2 platoon of German appeared by the end of the session, driving off the French recon elements. Both sides were now in contact at decisive ranges in the vicinity of Stonne, and the first German-held 40-meter hill hex was liberated by an intrepid French probe at the start of game turn 4. A combined 4 combat 7-die rolls were thrown in this very entertaining session.

Our second session (last half of game turn 4, and the start of 5) featured a steady & slow French advance into decisive action range just west of Stonne on the 20-meter contour. They also managed to draw first blood in a combined arms close assault, as the Germans began a tactical withdrawal upslope. Elsewhere, the constrained French advanced in a couple of minor probes & feints, hoping to lure elements of German armor & infantry out of position on the ridge, and into crossfire, or adjacent-hex firefights. Alas, my quick-thinking opponent did not take the bait offered, but instead reinforced the Landser’s defenses on the ridgetop adjacent to Stonne. The step loss tall now stood at 2 for the French, and only a single step lost for the Third Reich. The updated victory points were: 24 for the defending Germans, and 4 to the French. A combined SIX combat 7-die rolls were thrown, this session.

The fun-filled, 3rd session (game turns last half of 5-7) was a grim one for the hapless French side that lost an additional 2 steps in adjacent-hex fire fights just west of Stonne. In terms of combat die & OBA rolls, the PG Fates were very hard on the attacking French, and definitely favored the German’s morale recovery and close range fire rolls. The updated step losses were still only one for the Third Reich, but were up to 5 for the French side , resulting in the loss of one level of initiative. The victory point tally was now: 25 for the determined German defenders, and 7 for the struggling French. A combined 3 combat 7-die rolls were thrown.

Our extremely costly & frustrating, fourth session (game turns 8-start of 9) featured several catastrophic French close range firefights & close assaults on the margins of Stonne’s 40-meter hill. Steps lost were now a mere 5 for the resolute German defenders of Stonne – and reflecting the thrashing that they received today, a startling 15 steps lost for the struggling French! Both sides’ initiatives were reduced to zero in the intense fighting during this prolonged session. The highlights of this session were a litany of disaster for the rapidly weakening French attack: 2 tank platoons and an entire company of infantry were eliminated in close assault, along with a leader, thanks to a well-timed, German counter attack. Oddly the French had a series of lucky morale recovery rolls and their right flank units entered decisive engagement range on the east margins of the 40-meter ridge.

The intense, yet entertaining, fifth session (game turns 9- first part of 10) featured consolidation of the German defenses along the crest of the 40-meter ridge; limited endurance French probes on the eastern & southern margins of Stonne; some heavy & relatively accurate OBA bombardments, and the slow and very tenuous tightening of the weakly-held, French positions around Stonne. Step losses this session totaled: 3 for the Boche and 5 for the French, mostly due to adjacent hex firefights and accurate opportunity fire. The updated victory point tally was around: 20 for the hapless French, and 44 for the Third Reich.

Our sixth session (end of game turn 10-11) was a costly, but perhaps decisive, episode as the French finally established a precarious foothold in the town of Stonne at the cost of another 3 steps of infantry – that’s seven platoons of their men in the graveyard! The Germans lost 2 more steps (four infantry units so far in this play-through) as well as their senior leader, which caused barely a ripple of concern to the remaining Boche defenders. Remarkably, the French had the initiative for the 11th game turn, allowing a cascade of adjacent hex fire to proceed the close assault in both Hex 27-0816 and 27-0815 on the crucial 40-meter contour line. The updated victory point tally was now around: 23 for the hapless French, and 42 for the resolute Boche.

The costly seventh session (game turns 12-14) became a bloody seesaw affair going back-and-forth with the Germans dropping an additional 5 steps, plus 2 leaders, and the French losing 6 more steps and also a leader. These casualties were sustained in fierce adjacent-hex firefights, some unexpectedly accurate opportunity fire & OBA strikes, and in a successful Boche close assault in the hilltop woods. The fighting shifted uphill as the Germans carried out a successful fighting withdrawal, while the French consolidated their limited territorial gains by surrounding Stonne on 3 sides. The victory point tally was now: a pathetic, 30 for the French, and 47 for the German defenders.

The eighth and final session (game turns 15-16) was a disasterous one for the hapless French who suffered the loss of 11 steps, to only 4 to the defending German force. While they did managed to liberate 5 hexes on the 40-meter contour line, and also maintain a close assault in the contested western hex of Stonne, this came at a terrible cost in steps. The Germans seized the initiative on both game turns and aggressively targeted exposed French units, while the French had incredibly bad luck, particularly in combat & morale recovery die rolls.

The final result was a major German victory with a score pf 53 for the victorious Germans and 34 for the disgruntled French. My hard-fighting opponent and I give this fine scenario a rating 4, which would have been a 5, but for the unbalanced nature of this encounter, with very little chance for the French to achieve a draw or a minor victory. In all, there were 6 FOW-shortened game turns of the 16 played. This one is well-suited for SHARED and SOLO play.