From: "Mike NotSpecified" Subject: [Consim-l] Panzer Grenadier - Airborne #2 Canquigny On Mon, 30 Jan 2006 02:03:01 +1030 (CST) Markus Stumptner wrote: > Great replay, Mike! Please, more if you get around to it. :-) > > Markus Thank you Markus! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Here is another one, both are also available on BGG. Panzer Grenadier - Airborne #2 Canquigny 6 June 1944 Situation: Like most of the Airborne scenarios, this is the American paratroops operating inland on D-Day. The drops were scattered badly so much of the action this day consisted of small groups of paratroops linking up into ad hoc formations and trying to take their objectives. In this case, elements of the 507th Parachute Regiment have gathered for an assault on the strong points protecting a causeway across the flooded Merderet River. The Germans have two strong points on the east bank, the primary one directly at the entrance to the La Fiere causeway, the other 400 meters to the NE. The river itself runs almost due North/South at this point. This particular scenario is quite short, only 10 turns, and has very few units on either side. Perfect for that last hour before dinner! German Commander’s Appreciation The Strong points are manned by Volksgrenadiers of unknown ability. Capt. Kliefer has 1 platoon each of Grenadiers, Engineers, a HMG platoon and an 81mm mortar. Knowing the American Paratroopers will come from the east, he directs Lt. Heinrich to set up his HMG and 81mm mortar in a field on the west bank. They are protected by hedgerows and can put fire onto either of the strong points across the swampy river. Capt. Kliefer plans to lead his other Lieutenant and the grenadiers and engineers across the causewayto re-inforce the main strong point. American Commander’s Appreciation Captain Schwartzwalder has gathered almost a full company of paratroops to him, about 2.5 platoons worth. He only has one lieutenant and no heavy weapons. Right now his little band is sheltering behind a railway embankment, just 400 meters or so to the NE of the secondary strongpoint. Another 400 meters or so beyond that is his primary objective, the strongpoint guarding the causeway, but there are some hedgerows obscuring it from view. His plan is to rush both strong points. He will take the main group directly at the first strong point, while Lt. Miller takes one platoon around to the east of another hedgerow in hopes of falling on the main strongpoint without taking any opportunity fire along the way. Capt. Schwartzwalder will join him as quickly as possible. The Attack 0615 – Capt. Schwartzwalder and his 2 platoons, one under strength, break cover and dash for the first strongpoint. Somewhat to Capt. Kliefer’s surprise, the Volksgrenadiers open fire on the Americans as they dash across the open ground, but there fire is wild, no casualties and the paratroops high morale keeps them going, launching a quick assault on the dead run. (Which is actually illegal, supposed to assault only from adjacent hex…) The assault causes no casualties on either side. Meanwhile Lt. Miller and his men skirt around the hedgerows and charge towards the primary strongpoint. There is no fire, it appears to be unoccupied! Lt. Heinrich reacts to what he can see from the west bank and calls in both HMG and mortar fire on the Americans outside the secondary strongpoint. The fire is ineffective however. Capt. Kliefer is reacting as well, rushing his infantry platoons across the causeway, they make it into the strongpoint just in time to see Lt. Miller’s platoon coming up. 0630 – Lt. Miller has seen the Germans re-entering their strong point and knows he is still too far away to rush them in one move. Instead he swerves to his left, hoping to gain the temporary safety of another hedgerow enclosed field just to the southeast of the German strongpoint. The platoon follows, but heavy fire from the strongpoint costs him almost half his men before they tumble into the field. They are disrupted, and will have to recover before they can go any further. The Germans direct HMG and mortar fire onto the paratroops still visible around the NE strongpoint, no effect. Capt. Schwartzwalder, re-evaluating on the run, decides this strongpoint is not important and keeps his two platoons running SW, where they find themselves in an open field between the two strong points. His primary objective is now in sight and he could launch a two pronged assault hitting the end of the causeway from both NE and SE, except that Lt. Miller and his men are not going to be ready. 0645 – Excellent American initiative allows two activations before the Germans can react this turn. Lt. Miller rallies his men and they watch as Capt. Schwartzwalder and his men come swarming through the hedgerows and assault the German strongpoint. The defenders get first fire, but neither side gets a hit. Another American paratrooper platoon has moved to the sound of the guns, they appear on the map up near the railway embankment where Capt. Schwartzwalder started. Capt. Kliefer, temporarily leaving the defense of his strongpoint to his men, directs the mortar fire onto Lt. Miller’s field, but they don’t have the range and there are no casualties. 0700 – Lt. Miller orders his platoon to join the captain in the assault hex and races back towards the railway to see if any more troops are available, troops that cannot advance on the enemy without a leader! As he runs he comes under fire from the secondary strong-point but evades by twisting through the hedgerows. Capt Kliefer attacks the paratroops around his position, causing a step loss and demoralization. Capt. Schwartzwalder rallies the American troops, but they are in bad shape. 0715 – American initiative is reduced, but they still manage to go first. Capt. Schwartzwalder renews the assault, and another platoon fails its morale check. The paratroops fight off a counter-assault from the defending Germans though. Lt. Miller leads the reinforcements back towards the fight, surving a blizzard of opportunity and mortar fire along the way. Lt. Heinrich, commanding the firebase, decides the HMG platoon would be more useful up at the strongpoint and leads them east over the causeway. 0730 – Germans get to move first now, the confusion is hurting the Americans ability to coordinate. Lt. Heinrich gets his HMG platoon into the strongpoint just in time to help beat off anther assault, killing another paratroop step as well. Capt. Schwartzwalder retreats with one demoralized platoon as Lt. Miller leads his reinforcements into the fight. Miller has a reputation as great close in fighter and Schwartzwalder hopes that this will turn the tide, while he is busy rallying the others just outside the fight. 0745 – With the HMG reinforcements, Capt Kliefer now has a significant advantage over the Americans. Another assault kills another paratroop step, leaving just one under-strength platoon and an apparently suicidal Lieutenant. Capt. Schwartzwalder rallies the men with him, and even sends one of the half step platoons back into the fight to help Miller. 0800 – Capt. Kliefer is happy to see this night coming to a close. With all his infantry, engineers and HMG at full strength he rolls a 6 on the 24 column and kills both of the surving paratroop units in his hex, along with their brave Lieutenant. Capt. Schwartzwalder, seeing this, pulls his last remaing platoon back into the fields to await re-enforcements. After Action Review (AAR) Capt. Schwartzwalder behaved as he was trained. The paratroops didn’t have any heavy weapons and had to rely on surprise, speed and élan to capture positions before the defenders could react. In this case, he was 15 minutes too late to grab the strong-point before Capt Kliefer arrived to re-enforce it. His assault on the first strongpoint to the NE of his primary objective is questionable, but since he incurred no casualties or delay in that approach, and seeing as how Lt. Miller’s platoon was shot up taking the alternative route, it is a bit hard to second guess him. Capt. Kliefer had few choices on deployment. He did not know how strong his strong-points would be, else he would have of course put the better one at the causeway itself. His idea of a firebase on the west bank was sound, but in the event, the HMG did not get many targets once the American closed with the causeway, and an alert Lt. Heinrich brought them up just in time to irrevocably turn the battle for the Germans. Game Summary I picked this scenario specifically because it was short, had small orders of battle and dispensed with all artillery, armor and air-power (all of which Capt. Schwartzwalder could have used!). As a pure infantry struggle this gives some idea of the system, although even at that, it necessarily focuses on close combat and does not have much ranged fire. But it does showcase some of the very pertaint factors of this series; leadership, initiative, morale, opportunity fire and assault. This is probably not a scenario to play over and over, the Americans have very limited options and the Germans even less. In all likelihood repeated playings would see pretty much the same decisions made by both sides, the outcome being dependent on the Americans getting to the strongpoint intact and then getting lucky (or not) on their assault rolls. Historically the assault failed pretty much as described here. But, for a quick game, under an hour including taking notes, it was fun. And as a way to keep getting more familiar with the rules, I enjoyed it and (re)learned the rule about only being able to assault from adjacent hexes. Hope you enjoyed this report! _______________________________________________ Consim-l mailing list Consim-l@mailman.halisp.net http://mailman.halisp.net/mailman/listinfo/consim-l