AAR Group 4_Set up

[BTrap]

Here is our setup.  I am the Germans. I view the Americans as a juggernaut with plenty of options to rapidly advance and mass fires.  My job is to slow the American advance so my reinforcements can occupy and hold the Alamo (L6) with minimal difficulty.  I expect the Amis to not hesitate and mass attack through the center wheatfield.  If this is the case, I'll fall back with my northern Lt Dehn platoon into O4, and fall back with Gefreiter Muller's southern platoon to L6.

 

So my defense is a forward defense without any depth, unfortunately.  Just too much space and concealed avenues to cover with only 6 x squads. The terrain makes it very difficult to lay down effective fires with the MGs.   I thought of occupying just the buildings, but I view the American firepower as too overwhelming to last until turn 5 or so (when I can expect the reinforcements to arrive in the fight) if I just sit back and let them come. I also thought of massing in the center wheatfield, but felt I could not hold the Amis.

 

I really went back and forth on my defensive strategy..a very tough decision! 

 

Brian 

[raphae...@yahoo.fr]

American set up
North from South :
- squads in Z2 & Z3 have the intention to push towards Q4. First
objective is to break the defense in the northen wheatfield. Are these
german units not too much exposed ..?
- the two others stacks have to run through the central wheatfield and
first support the attack on T9
- the last isolated squad in Z9 is there to occupy T9 after german
broke or run back.

[Raphael tion]

First turn for the americans.

I try to break the front line of the german defense with concentrated fires : it bring good results against the northern stack in the wood. Accurate shots...so a direct KIA !
The unit in T9 hold well and protected itself behind the walls of this small building....
The central stack doesn't fire so ti can move through the wheatfield to harass the germans in the north.
See AT1a picture

The defensive fire of the germans break only on of my unit in the central stack
See AT1b picture

My advancing fire finish to break the northen german defense.
Do i have succeed to open a highway to the objectives ?
See AT1c picture

[BTrap]

German Turn 1. 

 

I am surprised by the American northern fires vs S3.  I expected the Americans to move with full speed.  Raf's KIA result against my best leader and 2 x squads is a bitter reminder that I may have made a mistake putting the Germans out there.  But I don't dwell on it..I believe it was a sound tactical decision, since I had an escape rout through the northern wheatfield.  And it accomplished what I needed...slowing the American advance due to Prep Fires. But the loss of the units and the manning of the HMG provides some doubt whether I can win the scenario or not. 

 

In the center, I am ok.  I have space to fall back and react to the Ami advance. My positioning keeps the Amis in Z9 at bay..further slowing them down.

 

In the southern, I make some money breaking Ami units with fire from T9...the sole reason I put them there. This contributes to my objective of slowing the American advance.  But I know they cannot hold long and I probably need to move them soon. 

 

Overall, my losses sting, and I know I am in trouble, but my return fire in the south is effective to help salvage the situation.

[Raphael tion]

American Turn 2

Picture GT1 represent the board game at the end of german turn.

This turn is used by me to move forward. Occupation of south V building by one squad, moving center squads to make a pressure on the remaining german squads and trying to occupy the north building. This could maybe provide a good place to block the german reinforcement.

See picture GT2 : position after german turn --> they went back to the "Alamo Position". ..At this time i didn't tough it could be so hard to take it !

American Turn 3 : picture AT3
I think i've pushed too much squads on the north building. 2 666 would have been enough

German turn 3 : reinforcement are coming from the south. With my northern force I try to break the "alamo" in M6. But these germans were tough guys. They resist to a fire of 20 IFT-1 and 12 IFT-1 without any casualties. In contrario, the counterfire cost me 1 kill and 2 broken

American turn 4 : no success in rallying the broken ones. I position my units in the northen building and attempts a "line attack" on the center before the reinforcement comes to close. 2 smokes, moves into it...but I also try to move units in the wheatfield without smokes....

M

De defensive fire of the germans brokes  the top 2 666 units of my line (I will rally them immediatly hopefully)...but my adfire makes any results....

After German turn 4, I begin to be in a difficult position, broken unit in the north and the rest of the northen forces are a little bit wasted (only fire opportunities are on M6...)
new broken units in the line attack....and the reinforcements are now well there.

American Turn 5
This i my last chance to take the last building. It's "win or die". I place smoke and try to advance again. Hopefully no casualties but...also for the germans...they are waiting me.

The German turn 5 makes cusualties in my attack. They also rout they broken ones and replace them with fresh ones.
After an ultimate attempt in the American Turn 6, I abandon the fight after the german dfph...a KIA killed the only squads able to make a CC in this last turn to take the building.

[BTrap]

Raf does a great job recounting the American tactical situation.  Basically for the Germans, once the decision was made to "Alamo", it was only a matter of arraying the forces to cover avenues of approach, mostly channeling the Americans through the wheatfield by covering the northern approach to M6.  The stone wall provided a bit of defense in depth as a layer of defenders prior to the building. 

 

The German reinforcements had to be careful of movement scheme due to some potential American long range fires, but given the terrain, was not too difficult to get into the fight in time to make a significant contribution to the defense.

 

Once forces were in place, was easy for a defender to sit back and allocate fires against a moving American force.