Panzer Grenadier Battles on November 21st:
Desert Rats #16 - The Panzers Pull Back Desert Rats #19 - The Panzers Return
Desert Rats #17 - The Tomb Of Sidi Rezegh Jungle Fighting #7 - Line Of Departure
Desert Rats #18 - A Pibroch's Skirl South Africa's War #5 - Irish Eyes
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Juncture II
Airborne #18
(Defender) Germany vs United States (Attacker)
Formations Involved
Germany 352nd Infantry Division
United States 327th Glider Infantry Regiment
Display
Balance:



Overall balance chart for Airb018
Total
Side 1 1
Draw 0
Side 2 3
Overall Rating, 4 votes
5
4
3
2
1
2.75
Scenario Rank: --- of 940
Parent Game Airborne
Historicity Historical
Date 1944-06-10
Start Time 16:15
Turn Count 13
Visibility Day
Counters 17
Net Morale 0
Net Initiative 1
Maps 3: 1, 3, 4
Layout Dimensions 84 x 43 cm
33 x 17 in
Play Bounty 134
AAR Bounty 159
Total Plays 4
Total AARs 3
Battle Types
Inflict Enemy Casualties
Urban Assault
Conditions
Off-board Artillery
Reinforcements
Scenario Requirements & Playability
Airborne Base Game
Eastern Front Maps + Counters
Introduction

After achieving contact, the glider company commander was taken to 29th Division HQ. Though the two divisions had linked up, many Germans still stood between them. Shortly afterwards the glidermen set out to return to Brevands, this time with an escort of six light tanks.

Conclusion

Company A returned to Brevands to rejoin their division. On the return trip the glider troops encountered and destroyed six German machine gun nests. Rather than returning to England to refit for new parachute drops, the lightly-armed American airborne troops found themselves committed to ground fighting as elite infantry.

Additional Notes

This scenario requires boards and a 37mm from Eastern Front.

Per the Airborne Leaders Poll, the overwhelming conciseness was to use para leaders to command glider formations.


Display Relevant AFV Rules

AFV Rules Pertaining to this Scenario's Order of Battle
  • Vulnerable to results on the Assault Combat Chart (7.25, 7.63, ACC), and may be attacked by Anti-Tank fire (11.2, DFT). Anti-Tank fire only affects the individual unit fired upon (7.62, 11.0).
  • AFV's are activated by tank leaders (3.2, 3.3, 5.42, 6.8). They may also be activated as part of an initial activating stack, but if activated in this way would need a tank leader in order to carry out combat movement.
  • AFV's do not block Direct Fire (10.1).
  • Full-strength AFV's with "armor efficiency" may make two anti-tank (AT) fire attacks per turn (either in their action segment or during opportunity fire) if they have AT fire values of 0 or more (11.2).
  • Each unit with an AT fire value of 2 or more may fire at targets at a distance of between 100% and 150% of its printed AT range. It does so at half its AT fire value. (11.3)
  • Efficient and non-efficient AFV's may conduct two opportunity fires per turn if using direct fire (7.44, 7.64). Units with both Direct and AT Fire values may use either type of fire in the same turn as their opportunity fire, but not both (7.22, 13.0). Units which can take opportunity fire twice per turn do not have to target the same unit both times (13.0).
  • Demoralized AFV's are not required to flee from units that do not have AT fire values (14.3).
  • Place a Wreck marker when an AFV is eliminated in a bridge or town hex (16.3).
  • AFV's do not benefit from Entrenchments (16.42).
  • AFV's may Dig In (16.2).
  • Closed-top AFV's: Immune to M, M1 and M2 results on Direct and Bombardment Fire Tables. Do not take step losses from Direct or Bombardment Fire. If X or #X result on Fire Table, make M morale check instead (7.25, 7.41, 7.61, BT, DFT).
  • Closed-top AFV's: Provide the +1 modifier on the Assault Table when combined with infantry. (Modifier only applies to Germans in all scenarios; Soviet Guards in scenarios taking place after 1942; Polish, US and Commonwealth in scenarios taking place after 1943.) (ACC)
  • Tank: all are closed-top and provide the +1 Assault bonus, when applicable

Display Order of Battle

Germany Order of Battle
Heer
United States Order of Battle
Airborne
Army
  • Mechanized

Display Errata (2)

2 Errata Items
Scen 18

There are no Luftwaffe 20mm in Eastern Front or Airborne. Use Heer 20mm instead.

(rerathbun on 2012 Jan 30)
Overall balance chart for 20

The reduced direct fire value of the Heer HMG became 5-5 starting with Fall of France.

(plloyd1010 on 2015 Jul 31)

Display AARs (3)

Juncture
Author driddle01
Method Solo
Victor Germany
Play Date 2012-09-16
Language English
Scenario Airb018

This is a small, quick scenario that looks easy. The Germans get lucky rolls to begin and start with the HMG and the 20mm in the city on board 4.

The Americans start down the road moving towards the town on board 1. The Germans get no reinforcement for several turns. The Americans advance along the road until within two hexes of the German defensive position. The initial German fire is ineffective, but a German GREN platoon and the 37mm enter along the south of board 4.

American off board artillery immediately gets a 1x result of the 37mm, but the German position gets a disruption on the American main force. This force stays put and rallies. Meanwhile, the German GREN moves to reinforce the position in the town.

The Americans being to circle the city, but the German position continues to cause morale checks on the Americans. It is now turn 9, and with only 4 turns to go, the Americans have 20 hexes to the city on board 1. There is no way to get there so the Germans win.

0 Comments
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Better than the previous
Author dricher
Method Solo
Victor United States
Play Date 2014-05-04
Language English
Scenario Airb018

Okay, this is better than Juncture I. The forces are sufficient, the victory conditions clear and possible. In fact, during my play, it was actually close. With no starting German forces on the board the Americans were able to get through the town and move off road towards the town on board 1 very easy. The Germans managed to get everything but the Captain on the board over time, and eventually get together a strike force of the Grens (the HMG couldn't keep up) and reach the town and launch an assault against the Americans by the end. Earlier the 37mm had a bead on the tank, which had been holding leaderless Grens at bay and had backed off to extreme range for the 37mm. An incredibly lucky shot killed a step (counting double), demoralized the remaining step, which ran to the town for cover. The assault into the town was a desperate bid at getting the third step, but the Americans shredded part of the assault before it came in when they won the initiative. The resulting assault did not take out the third step, all American units were in the town, and the Americans won.

My concern over the scenario, and the resulting rating of 2, is based on the total random appearance of every German unit. The American HMG, using the road, needs 11 of the 13 turns to reach the destination if there is no German on the board. The more direct overland route took 12 turns, and only because it passed every morale check inflicted by German OBA. If the Germans get even a single unit to set up in the town before the scenario starts, the odds of the HMG making destination are pretty much nil. So really the Germans only need to delay one other unit to force the draw. That's way too much random behavior. The Germans can start out strong, or non-existent, based on the way of some die rolls during set-up. I don't like that much randomness when the impact is that great. Oh, and the 20mm, if not rolled for in the set-up, cannot get on the board during a later turn as there is no transport. The only reason the Germans scored against the M5 is due to the early arrival of some hard working German gun crews pushing those things a long distance across part of board 1.

Way better than J-I, but still not my cup of tea. Too random to earn the 3 it could have achieved. Given the set-up conditions for J-I and a couple more turns to give the American HMG a real chance and this scenario could be pretty good. Not surprised the Juncture scenarios didn't make the newer edition.

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An Easy Race for the Americans
Author rerathbun
Method Solo
Victor United States
Play Date 2016-12-01
Language English
Scenario Airb018

Like a previous reviewer, I found the scenario very much influenced by the luck of the dice. The Germans started with no units on the board. They got the 37mm on turn one and the 20mm and one Grenadier platoon on turn 2. Meantime, the Americans raced along the road from the town on board 3. The tank platoon went on ahead and took cover in the field nearest the town on board 1.

The Germans got their last two platoons on in time to make it a race, but American artillery disrupted one and demoralized the other, putting them out of the scenario until very late. The remaining German platoon at least forced the American tanks out into the open, blocking the road so that the American platoons could beat them to the town.

The German 37mm got some long-range shots at the tanks, but never got close to the 12 they needed to damage the Stuarts. German artillery did disrupt one and demoralize the other infantry platoon, but the demoralized unit promptly fled to the town. The disrupted unit recovered in time to make it into the town at the same time as the American machine gun unit.

Two German platoons charged the town in desperation on the next-to-last turn, but lost three steps due to opportunity fire.

The Americans had all their units in the town (one of them still demoralized) at the end of the game for the win.

The scenario plays through very quickly due to the few units (especially the Germans early on), but it would be much better if the outcome wasn't so dependent on the dice for the German arrival.

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