Author	treadasaurusrex (United States)
Method	VASSAL
Victor	Germany
Participants	Col. Sonichu
Play Date	2024-11-17
Language	English
Scenario	BR01002

This was an intense & fraught 5-session play-through with the aggressive & wily Col. Sonichu leading elements of the attacking German 10th Panzer Division, in a 2-map, large-scale battle for critical terrain. I had defending elements of the US 1st Infantry Division (The Big Red One) clustered on and about Hill 336, as well as on the small 40-meter hill to the southeast, and the adjacent 40-meter deep, Wadi Keddab on Map 76. Both sides drew decent sets of leaders.

We used the Fog of War, smoke/illum, consolidation, strategic movement, extended assault, hidden units, tank riders and excess initiative optional rules. We also used these 3 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, across, 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. We felt that these house rules improved the simplicity and playability of this scenario.

Our intense first session (game turns 1-2) featured immediate exchanges of heavy fire as my clever opponent had placed the bulk of his attacking Landsers as close as possible to American lines on Hill 336 and on the adjacent 40-meter hill on Map 76. A very strong German right flank (northern) approach was barely slowed by a pair of minefields and GI opfires & AT shots. The only US 3-inch AT gun platoon was quicky demoralized in-place, and the charging Jerries mounted the 20-meter contour line on the eastern and southern margin of Hill 336 behind well-positioned smoke screens. The sole American M-6 portee and T-30 SPH were eliminated during game turn 2, as the weaker German left flank attack moved out. Step losses this session amounted to: 5 Heer steps, and 4 American. This put both sides in danger of losing a level of initiative next session.

The brutal & costly second session (game turns 3-5) will probably be the decisive one, as the German waves in the north, center and south all surged forward with mixed success, but did consolidate their hold on some key real estate on the 40-meter contour lines in two successful close assaults. American artillery was, once again, notoriously ineffective, and step losses this session were now: 10 for the hapless GIs, and 5 more for the Third Reich. An ill-fated, pair of US close assault, counter attacks failed miserably. By the end, both sides suffered reductions in initiative level, which was a catastrophic turn of fate for the now-doomed, American defenders. The updated victory point tally was now: 14 to the Jerries, and 10 for the embattled GIs.

Our third session (game turns 6-8) was a grim episode for the remaining, haggard American defenders in the waning sunshine. They lost an additional 6 steps, as well as a junior leader, as the German onslaught pressed forward at a cost of only 5 more steps. Wehrmacht armor was able to circle the upper reaches of Hill 336, while landser infantry advanced up the eastern margins of the hill, and right flank Heer troops pushed virtually all the remaining GIs off the 40-meter hill south of the road, and began pushing into the eastern margin of Wadi Keddab. Night fell at the end of game turn 8, with visibility reduced to just 1 hex. A combined SEVEN combat 7-die trolls were thrown by both sides this session.

There have been 7 FOW-shortened game turn of the 11 played so far.

The costly & hard-fought, fourth session (game turns 9-11) featured the destruction of another 8 steps of American units, but only a 2 German steps, as both sides struggled in the darkness with visibility reduced to just a single hex. The German began close assaults on the northern, 60-meter hill hex and promptly took this critical position, To the south, in Wadi Keddab, both sides experienced fierce fighting and multiple casualties and morale failures in close assaults. Tenth Panzer managed to exit 6 steps (2 were demoralized) off the west edge of the battle map, setting up a very likely minor victory for the Third Reich.

The bloody fifth session (game turns 12-15) featured a nearly inevitable, German minor victory with 2 victory conditions satisfied, and the death of the senior American commander. By mutual consent, the American side conceded at the start of the very last turn! Fun and a heck of a battle, this one.

We agree to give this slightly flawed scenario a solid 4, but note the erratum described below. While unbalanced in favor of the attacking Germans, it is a fairly accurate simulation of what happened historically. The more experienced player should lead the harder-to-play, American side. We recommend this one for both SOLO and SHARED play.

ERRATUM: Scenario victory conditions specify that VPs are earned by exiting Germans steps off the west map edge. One presumes that demoralized steps don’t count – but as published – unit condition is not mentioned. So apparently, any German steps that exit, regardless of condition, do count for VPs in this one. (Submitted to PG-HQ on 3 Nov 2024)