N/A. I posted the AAR for another scenario here.

This scenario pits dug in US troops against dug in German troops across a valley between two hill masses. Germans are defending against a large bunch of US troops with some tank, 37mm AA and AT guns and a T-30 halftrack, and themselves have 3 AT guns, 3 mortars, and an abundance of infantry, HMGs and leaders. My forgetting to account for the reduced visibility as dusk approached had little effect since artillery was having little effect on either side and mortars spent much of the game taking pot shots at their enemy counterpart with the occasional disruption and a demoralization or two. The US spent the first turn dropping all their arty on the enemy, trying to do some damage before moving across the valley into assault on the hills against dug in troops. The US had been set up so all their AT, AA and HMGs were in range at the beginning, but that one column shift for dug in really played havoc with their fire. Very little damage was done, even by the single US P-38 element that appeared and strafed a German position. Since time is limited in this 12-turn scenario, there is little time for the US to sit back and pound things, so turn two saw US infantry with leaders making assaults across the valley wile heavy weapons and OBA continued to try to soften up the targets. Once in contact, it became give-and-take for both side, but while US forces took the higher casualties, Germans started failing morale checks that even the high morale leaders couldn't help and the Germans started giving up ground. As dusk fell, artillery became more dangerous to friends than to foe, as both sides dumped fire onto their own positions with greater effect than on their enemy, so indirect fire ceased and it was left to the troops and tanks to slug it out. With the dark came a streak of German luck, as US rolls barely achieved anything and German rolls of 2 and 12 started coming way too often. In the end, US forces had lost 35 steps to only 16 for the Germans, and neither side was able to claim any terrain victory points as it was all still contested. Germans won a major victory on casualty points alone. Great game.

Author	treadasaurusrex (Germany)
Method	VASSAL
Victor	Draw
Participants	goosebrown (AAR)
Play Date	2023-07-01
Language	English
Scenario	AAAD037

This was a 4-session play-through with the playful, yet redoubtable, goosebrown leading an attack by elements of the US 1st Infantry Division’s 16th Infantry Regiment. I led defending troops of the German Panzer Grenadier Regiment Afrika. The American side drew a marginal set of leaders. The Germans had better luck in their leader draw. We played with the consolidation, smoke/illum, extended assault, tank riders and excess initiative optional rules. In addition, we used the following three 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, 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, and 3) Dug In Units are Automatically in Limiting Terrain in Desert Games Unless prohibited by special scenario rules, ALL units that are dug-in on slope hexes are considered to be in limiting terrain and are spotted if enemy units approach to within 3 hexes, or 4 hexes for reconnaissance units – – unless they are marked with a spotted marker, see 8.22.

The initial session (game turns 1-2) featured the beginning of a lengthy American left-flank, deep-battle movement to contact from the west skirting the north margins of Hill 812. This was accompanied by a heavy smoke screen that prevented accurate long-range AT fire from the demonic German AT guns. The “grand battery” of no less than 6 US HMG platoons maintained a heavy covering fire on the dug-in, Landsers on Hill 812 as the Americans advanced. From the beginning, a US diversionary force consisting of a reinforced infantry company on the neighboring 40-meter hill, southwest of Hill 812 drew a great deal of long range fire in the first 2 turns that resulted in the loss of 3 steps and a leader. Total step losses were tied at 4, by the end of this session resulting in the German initiative dropping a level to one.

Our second session (game turns 3-5) consisted primarily of a major exchange of long-range direct, OBA and mortar fire. Another step of German infantry was the only casualty, as the left flank American advance curled east & began closing to decisive range on the north and east margins of Hill 812. The Lee tank company began a close assault on the first of the German’s forward positions in Hex 76-0913. A number of Landser infantry units and their pet snail, Corporal Laszlo, were forced to redeploy from their original positions to face the oncoming US onslaught from 2 directions.

The third session (game turn 6-7) was a costly one for both sides with step losses now at: 8 for the Germans, and 9 for the attacking Americans. The massive US .50 cal machine gun line began approaching from the west, and the adjacent US infantry column initiated its decisive engagement with the few remaining Germans on the southwest margin of Hill 812. A pair of simultaneous combined arms, US teams commenced more intensive close assaults on the opposite flank of the nearly-encircled German garrison on Hill 812. Corporal Laszlo moved quickly to a safer position below the German mortar emplacements to avoid the increasingly accurate American artillery barrages.

Our fourth session (game turn 8-9) was more of the same and the last Satan’s spawn, AT gun of the Germans was eliminated. Ineffective US artillery during this episode prompted Corporal Laszlo to re-emerge and lay slime trails around the 2 remaining German mortar platoons. Two American close assaults were rapidly collapsing at this stage and this battle was looking more and more like a replay of Verdun. By mutual agreement we decided on a draw at the start of game turn 9. I give this slightly disappointing, but balanced, scenario a rating of 3, and recommend it for SOLO play only.

Author	goosebrown (United States)
Method	VASSAL
Victor	Draw
Participants	treadasaurusrex (AAR)
Play Date	2023-07-01
Language	English
Scenario	AAAD037

Tough game. My opponent, treadasaurusrex, deployed brilliantly on on Hill 812 with his PK40 and his squeeze bore well placed to take shots at my smallish armor force. The infantry was deployed mostly facing west, but treadasaurusrex well knows I like flank attacks so I deployed my large American infantry force on the hill facing Hill 812.

Given that I wanted to sprint along the northern edge of his position, I had a decision to make with my mortars and HMGs. I did not want them moving slowly and getting caught in the open. My solution was to anchor my right wing on the southern hill mass with enough force to make a German advance a little dicey. North of that, as close as I could set up, I deployed all the HMGs in a line adjacent to the road with a Captain and lieutenant who had the ability to form a fire group to provide heavy fire on the forward German units to pin them and to cover the fire of their 75IG and their squeeezebore ATG. (bath of which were finally eliminated through a combination of direct fire and OBA/Mortar fire.

The rest of my force, the company of tanks and about a battalion of infantry with what mediocre leaders I had sat ready on the left flank to dash across the open and attack on the German right flank.

Using my plentiful artillery, I began the assault by laying smoke along the whole route the infantry had to take for the first three turns along the lower hills obscuring the German visibility on the heights above. The advance went well although the blocking company on the right of my line started to take quite a bit of fire and started to take casualties.

Other than laying smoke, my artillery 5x 18s, was highly disappointing, with neither the OBA nor Mortars doing much other than make noise.

By turns 4 and 5, my flank attack had reached the north and rear of Hill 812, but the Germans had successfully redeployed to cover the flank and the remainder of the battle was a slow grind with frightening moral recoveries and multi-turn assaults.

Did I mention that my artillery was abysmal?

Just after dusk, we agreed to end the scenario as a draw.

Another fine game with treadasaurusrex