| Editor's Notes | Tim Hundsdorfer |
| Letters! | From around the globe |
| Scheldt Estuary | The Enigmatic Dr. Martin Snow |
| Operation Switchback | |
| Scheldt Fortress South | |
| Clearing the Breskins Pocket | |
| The Loveable Corporal Snudle | Tim Hundsdorfer |
| After Action Report | Tim Hundsdorfer |
| The Monster Pack | Big Bill Stevens |
| Tactics 101 | Mike "the Spike" O'Leary |
| A!P! Update | Tim Hundsdorfer |
| Fire for Effect | Tim Hundsdorfer |
| WWF Update | Tim Hundsdorfer |
| Last Call | Tim Hundsdorfer |
Three issues. Two web pages. Three expressions of interest in articles. Like a shell from the MA in a King Tiger, the ASL Digest is "on the way". It's growing quite large, so bear with me.
KGPII is out (with a few flaws)--for all those who said it would never happen: may you be stranded in Nova Scotia, sharing the only hotel room with Brian Youse. The 96 Annual, too, is nearly (or is) on the shelves. I suspect the ASL community will be very pleased with the 96 Annual, as I've playtested a few of the scenarios, and we all know about the quality of MMP's articles. So TAHGC is not nearly as dead as one might have supposed a year ago at this time. The moral of the story is to not count anyone out until they are dialing directory assistance for a "Dr. Kevorkian" in Eastern Michigan.
But the ASLML is another story. It's clearly fracturing into a bunch of little lists--a natural consequence given the ugly nature of the list as a whole. Clearly, being able to write what you want, without fear of starting a gratuitous flamewar is a big advantage of a "side" list. New folks, however, are left out of the loop with these "side" lists--and this is generally where the best ASL info is transmitted.
I have no solution to this, although I am thinking. First, I am thinking of a web page where someone can sign up for a side list. A list of people by area (for example, a Colorado list) is an idea worth considering. Further, a web page where one can send in a question for a non-official answer, where questions are answered along with a rules citation. I'm somewhat dubious as to whether this will solve the ASLML's central problem, which is argumentative personalities more than an ambiguous rule book, but at least people would be more willing to ask a question without fear of starting a JIHAD, and some of the pressure would be taken off of the MMP web answer page.
MAJOR thanks to Carl Fago for teaching me the joys of the KILL FILE. So go ahead, make my day. If you don't hear from me, it's because you are on the "role of honor".
Once again, this is a way big digest, so if you have to pay for downloading it, well, it' better than the 120K of CRAP you get from the list and, let's face it, cheaper than the $3.50 you'd pay for a General to get a crappy article and one lousy scenario!
We've got monsters this month, as Bill Stevens hawks his Monster Pack and Marty Snow kicks in with a monster of a scenario, sort of a pre-campaign game. Doubtful any but the hardiest of ASL groups will try this, but it makes for a good read!
STIFF OF THE MONTH: Mike Handiboe, for falling for the "Crying Game" joke.
DIG6.2> Should the new digest get sent to the ASLML?
Tom "the Bomb" Weniger sez: TW>Why not? Thanks for mailing the Digest to me. I appreciate and TW>enjoy it. Also, I can volunteer to send it to the ASLML... TW>Now, if I can remember where I put that asbestos suit... ;)
Tom "Why is 1942 Danbury Circle called the Commissar's House'?" Repetti sez: TR>One part of me wants the whole mailing list to see this, but TR>another part of me thinks it's tremendous fun to just have it TR>sent to the Friends of Hundsy. Hey, if you're gonna be accused TR>of elitism, then dammit, you got to at least enjoy BEING TR>elitist.
TH: Yes, Tom, you are on the same list as Perry Cocke and Brian Youse, so you are clearly one of the elite.
Major Dave sez: DVK>Keep it private. Camaraderie has been missing from the ASLML DVK>for some time now.
TH: Whatever you say, Major. No one can accuse me of being rotten to the Corps. :)
Lars Thuringer sez: DIG6.2>Lars Thuringer (which is a style of sausage in Germany)
LT>and how would you know about German sausages?! :-)
TH: Some people collect stamps...
On Snudl, Jim Taylor Points out:
JT>He's no Nazi...he's a German soldier. All's Quiet on the JT>Western Front is about German soldiers, and it's a classic.
Good point. Remember to unbutton the hatch before getting out of your tank, good man. "In her hair, she wore a yellow ribbon, she wore it for her soldier who was in the cavalry..."
Here are the promised scenarios. They are interesting from a "game history" perspective. The BREAK between scenarios of R220 is obviously the beginning of the Refit Phase concept that we have all grown to know and love in RB, KGP, A!P!, etc.
snowm@ucsu.colorado.edu http://ucsu.colorado.edu/~snowm/Home.html
Holland, October 6, 1944.
Mapboards
_________________ |2 | 3 | | | | ----------------- |10 |16 | | | | ^ ----------------- | |7(s) | | N | | 8(s)| ----------------- | | | | 4| 6(s)| -----------------Victory Conditions: Canadians must be able to trace a continuous path of road hexes from the north edge of the canal to the north edge of the board with no enemy units on or adjacent to it, AND be sole occupant of all five stone buildings on board 3. The Germans win by avoiding the Canadian VC.
17 Turns German sets up first, Canadian Moves first.
German OB:
Elements of 1037th Grenadier--Regt of the 64th Infantry Division [ELR: 3] {SAN:4}. Sets up north of Leopold Canal.
10-2, 2 x 9-1, 2 x 8-1, 2 x 8-0 16 x 4-6-7, 6 x 2-2-8, 16 x ? 2 x HMG, 2 x MMG, 6 x LMG, 2 x PSK, 2 x radio 81 mm MTR (GrW 34) 120 mm MTR (GrW 42) 6 x 1S Foxhole 6 x Trench
Canadian OB:
Elements of 7th Bde of the Canadian 3rd Infantry Division [ELR:4] {SAN:2}. Sets up south of Leopold Canal.
2 x 9-2, 9-1, 2 x 8-1, 2 x 8-0, 2 x 7-0 25 x 4-5-7, 5 x 4-5-8, 6 x 2-3-7, 4 x 2-2-8 HMG, 3 x MMG, 5 x LMG, 2 x radio, 3 x Lt MTR 2 x 76mm MTR 2 x 107mm MTR 10 x small rafts 6 x large rafts 8 x 1S Foxhole 3 x Wasp
Special Rules
Holland, October 25, 1944:
Mapboards:
_________________ |8(n) | 7(n) | | | | ----------------- |17+over | | | | 6(n)| ^ ----------------- | |15 | | N | | 5| ----------------- | | | | over+19| 11| ----------------- |2 |3 | | | | -----------------
Victory Conditions: The British win by having sole occupation of all true second level hexes (including buildings) at game end. The Germans win by avoiding the British VC.
17 Turns Germans set up first, British move first.
German OB:
1038th Grenadier Rgt. & 164 Artillery Rgt of the 64th Infantry Division [ELR:3] {SAN:4}. Set up on any board north of hexes numbered 3 on boards 19 & 11.
10-2, 3 x 9-1, 2 x 8-1, 2 x 8-0 18 x 4-6-7, 14 x 2-2-8, 16 x ? 2 x HMG, 3 x MMG, 6 x LMG, 3 x PSK, 3 x radio 20L AA Flak 30 20L AA Flak 38 2 x 105 ART leFH 18 2 x 75L AT Pak 40 88L AA Flak 18 88LL AT Pak 43 81mm MTR GrW 34 120mm MTR GrW 42 4 x Opel Blitz Trucks 8 x 1S Foxhole 1 x Trench (see SSR 219.4)
Walcheren reinforcements from the 70th Infantry Division subordinated to the 64th Division enter on/after Turn 6 on any north edge hex(es). [ELR: see SSR 219.10]
2 x 9-2, 3 x 8-3-8, 4 x 4-6-7, 3 x LMG, DC 7 x Assault Boats
British OB:
Elements of the 155th Bde of British 52nd Lowland Division and elements of 4th Armored Division [ELR:4] {SAN:2}. Set up south of any hex numbered 3 on boards 19 & 11.
10-2, 9-2, 9-1, 2 x 8-1, 2 x 8-0, 2 x 7-0 20 x 4-5-7, 8 x 4-5-8, 3 x 2-3-8, 5 x 2-3-7 (why so many HS? you ask...) 3 x Lt MTR, 2 x radio, 2 x HMG, 2 x MMG, 4 x LMG 1 x AVRE 2 x Churchill VII 2 x Cromwell VII 4 x Cromwell IV
Elements of 9th Bde of the Canadian 3rd Infantry Division enter mounted on Terrapins (see SSR 219.9)
10-3, 9-2, 9-1, 12 x 4-5-8, MMG, 3 x LMG, 6 x Terrapin
Special Rules
Holland, October 6, 1944.
Mapboards:
_________________ |8(n) | 7(n) | | | | ----------------- |17+over | | | | 6(n)| ^ ----------------- | |15 | | N | | 5| ----------------- | | | | over+19| 11| ----------------- |2 |3 | | | | ----------------- |10 |16 | | | | ^ ----------------- | |7(s) | | N | | 8(s)| ----------------- | | | | 4| 6(s)| -----------------
Victory Conditions: The Allies must destroy all German AA, ART, and AT guns and be sole occupants at game's end of all true second level hexes (including buildings) on the board to have a chance of winning. If neither the 7th Canadian Bde nor the 52nd British Lowland unit has suffered 50% casualties (51 CVP for 7th Bde, 68 CVP for 52nd) and the Allied player accomplishes the above goals it is an "Allied Brilliant Victory." If either unit suffers , but the goals are accomplished, it is an "Allied Costly Victory". If both u nits suffer, it is a "German Tactical Victory." If the German player is able to prevent the Allied player from accompishing his goals it is a "German Strategic Victory," regardless of German losses (and may in light of Allied supply usage during the upcoming Battle of the Bulge, prolong the war by months).
Three 17 turn scenarios, separated by two BREAKs (see SSR 220.5. Turns go from 1A-17A, then 1B-17B, etc. Germans set up first, British move first.
German OB:
Turn 1A: All starting forces of Scenarios R218 and R219 set up as indicated in those scenarios (EXC: ignore artillery modules). Turn 1B: One module of 100+mm OBA with scarce ammo (HE and Smoke). Turn 1C: One module of 100+mm OBA (HE and Smoke). Turn 4C: One module of 200+mm OBA with scarce ammo (HE and Smoke). Turn 6C: Walcheren Island reinforcements enter any north edge hex(es) as per Scenario R219.
British OB: Turn 1A: Canadian 7th Bde, set up as per Scenario R218. Two modules of 80+mm OBA (HE and SMOKE). Air support is available only on turns 1A-17A as per SSR 218.9. Turn 1B: British 52nd Lowland, enter on any south edge hex. One module of Battalion Mortar 100+mm OBA (HE and SMOKE). One module of 80+mm OBA with plentiful ammo (HE and SMOKE). Turn 7B: 4th Armored Division enter on any south edge hex. Turn 1C: One module of Battalion Mortar 100+mm OBA (HE and SMOKE). Two modules of 80+mm OBA (HE and SMOKE). Turn 3C: Canadian 9th Bde enter on Terrapins as per SSR 219.9
Special Rules
Corporal Otto Snudl
by Tim Hundsdorfer
There was a jolt as the PzIIIL ran over a horsecart, while Dimschitz, who was driving, and Snudl looked at each other in disbelief.
"So, Dimschitz, they've finally taken you out of the motor pool and put you in the real fighting, eh? Not just pulling trucks out of the mud, eh?"
Dimschitz shot back an evil look.
"SNUDL?! God in Heaven, Snudl, what are you doing on my tank?" Came a frantic shout from behind him. It was, of course, the Captain, who had brought along his faithful lackey Dimschitz as he was transferred out of the motor pool.
Snudl's head swam in utter horror. Five days in a cattle car. Over a thousand mud-covered miles. Four different transit depots. Yet, here he was with the very demon he was fleeing.
"SNUDL?!"
Grappling with the choices he had before him (one of which being to roll off underneath the treads), Snudl was too dumbfounded to answer.
"SNUDL?!"
Without saying a word, Snudl jumped from the speeding Mark III. Werner looked at Dimschitz; looked at the Captain, and quickly followed Snudl.
The Mark III sped up in a cloud of dust and unspent diesel fuel.
Werner looked at Snudl in disbelief.
"We'll wait for the next convoy," said Snudl.
Dr. Marty Snow and I have been playtesting (infrequently it's true) for MMP for about a year now. Playtesting is grunt work for the ASL community. The pay is that you get to see some scenarios a bit before everyone else and, when the new Annual comes out, you know which scenarios are way cool. You also muddle through some dogs (not too many, really). So after obtaining permission from MMP, I'm posting this AAR of one of our playtests. Hopefully, this will whet some appetites for the upcoming annual (though this scenario won't be in the annual until 1997) and stimulate some interest in playtesting--which is very important for the health of the hobby.
Last month, Dr. Snow and I took on the beefy Hitler Youth's First Blood'. Set in 1944, in Normandy, this scenario has a number of unique features which really attract attention. First, there is the attack and counterattack situation. The victory conditions, while a bit complex, are unique and interesting. READ THEM TWICE. Also, there are no less than TEN PzKwIV's and 5 Stuarts. There are THREE modules of OBA (including NOBA). Add in some SS troopers and the Sherman Firefly and this scenario makes for BIG fun.
The German sets up initially in a village, with some second line squads. The Canadians come on and must clean them out before the PzIV's and SS boys (literally) show up on the scene. These aren't garden variety SS (ELR:4), but they are close enough and fantastic shock troops for getting into the village which is held by the Canadians (well, Nova Scotians, to be exact).
My second line troops faded, but it seemed like there was an awful lot of Close Combat early, and I held my own. This was partially by design, as I set up to have these troops last as long as possible, and keep concealment. I passed up some gravy shots in order to keep concealment. This allowed me to get some of the 447's into some places to annoy the Canadians and keep them from digging in very much before the SS (and, more specifically, the PzKwIV's) arrived on the scene. The Stuarts are no match for the PzKw's, and they couldn't get into position before the Mark IV's arrived on the scene. The Shore Fire Control party also got a nasty surprise in the form of a HIP unit laying in wait for an ambush, and had to break and run away, getting it out of the action for a number of turns.
When the Mark IV's came on, they did hateful damage to the Stuarts. The Shermans skulked, waiting for an opportunity to draw the Mark IV's into a shooting gallery. The Stuarts didn't have a chance, and the Mark IV's soon were chugging up both flanks, loaded for bear with teenage Hitler Youth who were itching for a fight. The right flank became a chess match, with neither side offering a LOS, and me trying to flush out his Firefly with infantry assaults. The Firefly really kicked my infantry's ass, and was pretty rough on the one PzIV I exposed to it's LOS as well. Another PzIV was immobilized by a light mortar, but overall, my force was intact, and my SS troopers were preparing to deal a little death of their own, including some heavy 150MM OBA.
The point came where the Firefly had to bug out or risk being bypassed without getting off any more shots. The other Shermans were wrecks and the Stuarts were all busy supplying smoke for my advancing SS troopers. The Firefly made it's bid to kill a couple of MkIV's, malfed it's MA, and the game was essentially over. It would have taken amazing luck to take out my beloved tanks in street fighting, and essentially, the gig was up. My MkIV's scooted off, providing more than ample EVP for me to win.
We both came to the conclusion that this scenario favored the Germans, but it's possible that a wild swing of fortune was possible. The MkIV vs. Sherman match up shows, clearly, the irresistibility of a concentrated German armor assault against the Shermans. The Firefly, being outnumbered 10-1, must be used aggressively, but it is a brittle toy, and one which is essential to a Canadian victory.
The SFCP was a stroke of bad luck for Marty, as he only managed one fire mission (though I got NONE from my 150MM OBA). It comes on behind the main force (essentially, I think, after they should have cleaned out the village). So when he ran into my ambush squad and had to break, it meant that the SFCP would be out of position for the entire game.
The Stuarts are burning wrecks waiting to happen, but I think with these, too, the Canadian player must be aggressive. Pushing down to the SS entry area would have forced the PzIV's to take at least a turn to eliminate them, because they have real EVP value (both sides must exit VP). Unfortunately (for Marty), my second line dudes held out so well that Marty felt he needed the MG support in the village, and couldn't move the Stuarts into position fast enough to stop the onslaught of SS/MkIV's. All the burning wrecks in and around the village meant great cover for the advancing SS troopers and my MkIV's were delayed not a bit.
A very solid scenario, and while it is a bit longer (playable on a long Saturday afternoon) than we usually play, I'd play this one again, as either side. The victory conditions offer both sides excellent opportunities to make different choices in initial strategy and during the course of the scenario, adding immensely to replay value. Look for this one to be very popular when balanced in the MMP labs and published.
War-Oboe Publications MONSTER PACK#1 (scenarios) 16 Multi-Player Scenarios in Five different theaters plus 3 Japanese tournament scenarios. wrsteven@carbon.cudenver.edu See photos of MONSTER PACK#1 scenarios in action on Martin Snow's Home Page: http://ucsu.colorado.edu/snowm/Home.html
LARGE: the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, the Stanley Cup Champion Colorado Avalanche Hockey Club, and ASL in the Rocky Mountain Region. MONSTER SCENARIO: Engaging in the play of any, usually physically and logistically unplayable, wargame which involves multiple players. Characteristics include loud, raucous, good natured behavior, along with many individuals imbibing and consuming large quantities of non-dietary food. ASL players in the greater Denver, Colorado area are among the most fanatic squad-leading Grognards you will find anywhere in the ASL universe. Couple this with the 50th anniversary of various World War II battles over the last few years and you have the irresistible force meeting the immovable object.
The idea began on July 2nd 1991 when a group of six ASL enthusiasts gathered at my home to simulate a portion of Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of Russia by forces of the German Wehrmacht in 1941, should be familiar ground to Adelaide, South Australia readers as more ASL scenarios are based on it and the subsequent eastern front battles than any other theater. Granted, simulating a battle on its anniversary was probably not an original idea. We had been doing it informally as far back as the original SL by occasionally playing a published scenario on the day the battle supposedly occurred. This time we were upping the ante by several orders of magnitude, however. The Playtest coordinator, L. Dean McGinley, had a friend in the printing business take photographs of the game boards with a process camera and make 11x14 inch prints of them (this was before color photo copies were affordable and you need a friend in the business to make this process financially feasible). The result was that all the boards were available in near-Deluxe ASL size. This provided the groundwork (literally) and impetus for what would evolve into our annual Monster Scenario bash.
Once the boards were in place, the regular cardboard vehicles and guns just would not do. The next "logical" step was to replace the cardboard with miniatures. The large boards along with waves of miniatures made for a spectacle that was as thrilling to look at as it was to play. The whole thing looked so "Hollywood" I actually videotaped subsequent get-togethers. For all the non-vehicular/gun counters we used standard ASL cardboard. The only other improvisation was to use of gray cotton balls to replace the smoke counters and tufts of brown tinted cotton to represent vehicle dust (when applicable). We went through much cotton on Barbarossa day as burning AFVs littered the landscape. This would be surpassed two years later during our Kursk recreation, however. Many thanks go to Dean for his untiring effort in creating the realistic miniatures that have swept over our cardboard battlefields. The biggest scenario we could find on our first outing was a re-make of the classic Breakout From Borisov. We decided to add two new vehicles to the counter mix to spice it up. One AFV we couldn't pass up on was the Russian the T-35 "land battleship". The counter does not do this monster justice. All of you should take a look at this piece of lead if you have the opportunity! The scenario remained otherwise unchanged aside from an additional German Panzer IIIh to compensate for the T-35. With food breaks it took approximately 12 hours to finish. Everyone had a grand time during our first Monster Bash and an annual ritual was born. The experience was a catalyst for all of us to continue playing ASL in this manner next year and annually through 1995. For the following year our goal was to commemorate the 50th anniversary of a noteworthy battle that did not exist as an ASL scenario. Soon 1992 was upon us and most of us had already had our fill of Stalingrad, having completed or being in the midst of playing a Red Barricades campaign. I selected a portion of the Battle of El Alamein which took place on October 26, 1942 (The Guadalcanal Scenario is under development for MONSTER PACK #2). Since there was not a published scenario to even base the monster bash on I set about the task of researching the Battle.
Reading about any battle, particularly from many different sources, enables you to find out commonly agreed upon notions and facts regarding the situation. Sometimes wide dissimilarities between sources would emerge, especially when researching at the tactical/ASL level. When this occurred I went with what the majority of sources agreed upon. I also placed a high priority on the playtesters opinions and on video documentaries on WWII. A noted historian said, "There are two versions of history: what is written about the event and what actually occurred". After reading about the battle, taking in the video documentaries, and discussing the information with the playtesters, it was time to make history a "reality" using the game system we all recognize as the best tactical level simulation of WW II --ASL. The key to creating any scenario is not trying to get too detailed with what actually happened on the individual level. ASL has a beautiful way of doing that all on its own. The random events in ASL are the basis of a lot of our "dice stories/war stories". The main criteria in creating a MONSTER SCENARIO involves being aware of how many players are willing to play on the same day (usually within days of the actual battle), having the board/gaming area (2x4x8 tables are required to play GOLD BEACH), coming up with multiple sets of counters and boards, and designating Overall Commanders for both sides. The Overall Commanders responsibilities include setting scenario plans, deciding on reinforcement allocation, and designating which portion of the battle the subordinate(s) will command. In subsequent years our fanaticism has grown as we clashed at Kursk in 1993, D-Day in 1994 and downtown Berlin in 1995. In later years we have even gotten to the point of creating T-Shirts and crafting fine Home Brewed Beer. Marty Snow is the official MONSTER PACK #1 Brewmeister and T-Shirt artisan. We also try and have the main smorgasbord of the now up to sixteen hour (it keeps growing) event feature cuisine of either or both nationalities.
The heart of each of the scenarios included in MONSTER PACK #1; (War-Oboe Publishing (C) 1996) are the diverse and dynamic Victory Conditions, unknown Order of Battle, and the Scenario Special Rules for the game and Scenario Special Rules for each individual side. Players find themselves in a position of not knowing what the other side has to fight with and not knowing what the otherŐs victory conditions until game's end.
These scenarios are not meant to be played and experienced on the tournament level or even, I dare say, the purely competitive level. They are meant to honor all of the individuals who fought in WWII through remembering the cataclysmic events of 1935 through 1945 which they participated in and to have FUN playing ASL! War-Oboe Publications invites you and a lot of your ASL friends to experience the same thrill with these MONSTER SCENARIOS as we did from 1991 to 1995.
This is a compilation of basic tactics for beginning ASL players. The ideas presented herein are by no means original to me, but I have found them effective in the games that I have played. That being said, I should point out that, although I play regularly and reasonably well, I am certainly not one of those players who is good enough to win a tournament If you want to learn how to win a tournament, talk to someone who has done so. My purpose is to describe some basic, effective tactics for those players who are still learning the game.
To simplify the discussion, I shall only discuss the basics of infantry versus infantry tactics, leaving the complications caused by armor, artillery and the like for another time, and perhaps another author. Because of the difference in perspectives, in this issue I shall only discuss tactics for the defender. The corresponding discussion for the attack shall appear later. Note that in many scenarios, the role of attacker and defender can change, as the scenario progresses.
Finally, I hope that other players, better than I, will continue this idea with compilations of their favorite tactics for this and even more sophisticated situations.
Basic Tactics 101- Defensive Infantry Tactics
(1) Broken units
When defending, always think about is what will happen to your units when they break. During setup, for example, players have a tendency to focus attention on what they are going to do to the enemy rather than on what the enemy is going to do to them. I do not know how many times I have set up a unit in the hope of firing off a killer shot and ended up with a broken unit that dies/surrenders/is interdicted.
Not only should you make certain that your units can rout away when they break, you should also check to see that they end up routing somewhere useful. If the only place your unit can rout is towards some obscure corner of the board far away from your leadership and the enemy, he isn't going to be of much use, even if he eventually self-rallies.
In combination with this, it is often a good idea to keep a leader or two a few hexes back away from fire in a location to which your broken units can rout quickly and easily. When selecting such a location, try to find one that the enemy can not fire upon, preventing him from inflicting DM status on your troops.
One final note. My favorite use of foxholes is not to create strongpoints (the FFMO for leaving them can be a pain!) but rather to create terrain through which I can rout free of interdiction.
(2) Importance of time to the attacker
In general, the attacking force must accomplish a specified goal, e.g. capture a hex/building, cause casualties, or exit units. Do not forget that these goals must be accomplished in a certain length of time, and use that to your advantage. In other words, a valid defensive tactic is to "lose slowly". For example, if a small half-squad can block a crucial trail and hold up an enemy column for a turn, that may win the scenario even while it loses the unit. Look for these opportunities when you can.
Further, if the terrain and the victory conditions allow it, fall back during your movement phase to locations out of enemy LOS, but still have LOS to locations the enemy must traverse in his upcoming movement phases. This saves your units from the enemy's fire while still presenting an obstacle to advance.
(3) Skulking
Although described as "sleaze" by some, skulking is a fundamental defensive tactic. Simply put, as the defender you (assault) move a single hex out of the enemy's line of fire only to advance back into that same hex in your advance phase. This forces the attacker to use up valuable time in prep fire phases to break your units, instead of breaking them in the previous turn with defensive fire.
A word of advice- if you decide to skulk, make sure that the enemy is not already set up to wax you in the hex you decide to enter- that defeats the purpose :-)
(4) Be aware of your enemy's capabilities
Both during setup and as the game progresses, continue to ask yourself the question "What can the enemy do to me?" As an example, if the enemy has a good supply of firepower and leadership, it is a bad idea to place your defensive line in a position where the enemy can set up a kill stack and wax your troops. This advice applies doubly to the initial set up- there is no point in an ideal defensive position that dies before it can shoot!
Often overlooked in the list of enemy capability is his mobility. If your position is sufficiently strong to repulse a direct assault, it does you no good if the enemy can simply bypass it, especially if by doing so he can force you to retreat into areas that he has covered by fire.
Finally, if your opponent has a plentiful supply of smoke, no single strong point will be adequate against assault, as the enemy may simply smoke it out and then bypass it or surround it.
(5) Defensive kill stacks
Here I am going to go out on a limb, and say that unless special circumstances warrant it one should not form kill stacks as the defender. The reason for this is that by doing so you often denude the remainder of your forces of necessary firepower and leadership, making them weaker. Simultaneously, your kill stack will probably receive the nearly undivided attention of the enemy's fire, and when the stack breaks, as it almost certainly will eventually, you will have lost a substantial fraction of your firepower.
I did say that there are exceptions to this advice; in particular if my defense is blessed with a great deal of firepower/leadership (such as in an RB CG) or the enemy is forced to traverse a known route (so that you can wax the lead units and beat feet if necessary) I would certainly consider a kill stack. Undoubtedly there are other circumstances as well; just be certain that the potential gain outweighs the certain risk.
(6) Stacking
Don't do it. The beauty of multilocation fire groups is such that you can add their firepower together when you attack, while only having one unit vulnerable to fire (barring spraying fire, et. al.) at a time. This is usually a good time to use those upper building levels to spread out your force, while still keeping the high firepower of a stack and the high TEM of a building.
There are occasions when you may even wish to forego a protective TEM to spread out your forces, especially on the large rural boards. In general it is better to take a 12+0 attack against a singe squad in the open than a 12+1 attack against three squads stacked in a woods hex.
(7) DFF, SFF, FPF
When defending, don't forget to maximize the amount of damage you can do by taking DFF and SFF shots when possible, and even the occasional FPF shot. In general, if a good target presents itself, wax him! If a second unit then moves up, you always have the opportunity to hit him with SFF.
Don't forget to SFF against adjacent units in your Defensive Final Fire Phase as well.
This piece of advice does come with a few caveats as well. Don't shoot indiscriminately at the first enemy unit that you see- the attacker may be trying to draw your fire so that he can bypass you or obtain a better firing position. Note also that there is a higher risk of breakdowns when firing MG's in SFF. The key idea here is to try to get as much effective defensive fire as possible, and that includes disciplined use of SFF and, on rare occasions, FPF.
(8) Residual Firepower and Fire Lanes
When considering your options for DFF, don't forget the importance of residual fire and firelanes. If you can place residual fire in a key location, do so, as that denies its free use to the enemy. Even more important is the use of firelanes. Especially when firing LMG's ask yourself the value of a possible firelane placed with that shot. Even a 1 FP can slow down an opponent.
Note also that the rules for firelanes were updated in a later module (CdG) so check with your opponent to agree on which set of rules to use.
(9) Value of HIP
The value of HIP for planning and executing ambushes is clear. What is less clear is the value of such an ambush on a game. As an example, suppose you decide to set up an 8-1, 4-6-7, and MMG HIP. Assuming your target is FFNAM and FFMO, it is just a single 8(-3) attack. Admittedly, that is quite nice, (if, unlike me, you do not roll 11+ on the attack) but it is certainly not a backbreaker, unless your opponent is a fan of moving big stacks in the open. Thus, when planning out your HIPsters, try and get a realistic idea of their effect, and do not rely on their shock and surprise value.
There are, however, more subtle uses of HIP. First, note the effect that HIP units have upon your enemy. Often he is more cautious, more deliberate, and slower. In games where there is some element of time pressure, you may find that this slowing effect of unknown HIP units is more valuable than their possible contributions once revealed. Thus, if you have a HIP unit that is simply badly placed for whatever reason, it may be advantageous to simply leave that unit alone, and let your opponent continue worrying about some HIP ambush that will never occur.
Another use for HIP units is to place them in out of the way locations that will hopefully be bypassed in the initial attack. Once the enemy is fully occupied in his attempts to reduce your position, these units then drop their HIP status to deny rout paths to the enemy. A 2-3-6 half squad that is behind the attacker, can eliminate broken unit after broken unit for failure to rout, and it can do all of that without having to fire a single shot. As an added bonus, you can also fire on the enemy to encircle his units. This is less of a problem for a mobile enemy than might be supposed, but every little bit can help.
Finally, if the VC require the attacker control certain locations or buidlings, a standard tactic is the placement of HIP units near (but usually not in) those locations so that they can regain control of them at the end of the game. If you wish to try this tactic, make sure that you understand the various building and location control rules. (A cogent explanation of those rules is beyond the scope of this small piece.)
(10) Concealment and Dummy Stacks
The first rule of concealment is to get it whenever possible, and the second rule is to deny it to the enemy at every opportunity. In practice you should set up and maneuver your units so that you keep and gain concealment. Conversely, it is often worthwhile to keep a unit in a position from which it can prevent the attacker from gaining concealment.
If you are alotted dummy stacks, the following tactics may prove useful. First, you want to confuse your enemy as to which stacks are dummies, and which are real. To do this, you yourself must sometimes treat dummy stacks as real units and vice versa. For example, suppose that the enemy is moving across open ground in the LOS of a concealed stack. If you always force the enemy to drop concealment (by temporarily revealing a non-dummy unit in your stack) you give information to the enemy. In particular, if he later moves a concealed unit in front of a potential dummy stack and you do not force him to drop his concealment, he will conclude that your stack is a dummy. Of course, not stripping concealment when you are able also gives an advantage to the enemy, so you must judge the odds when deciding to force the enemy to drop concealment. The same problem occurs when deciding when to fire at the enemy. If every stack fires when given the opportunity, you give information to the enemy when a stack does not fire. On the other hand, a real stack that does not fire has become combat ineffective. When making the decision to fire/force concealment loss, keep in mind that, although it is valuable if your opponent does not know which of your stacks are dummies, and which are real, the actual advantage obtained may be small.
Once the enemy has figured out which of your stacks are dummies, are the dummies useless? It turns out that the answer is no. I have two favorite uses for dummy stacks that the opponent knows are dummies. First of all, split your dummy stacks into as many two counter stacks as possible. Run these "units" into positions near the enemy sniper and near key leaders and units, and put them in the worst TEM locations that you can manage. Why? because dummy stacks are still elegible sniper targets, and any sniper round that hits a dummy stack did not hit a real unit. This can substantially reduce the effectiveness of the enemy sniper.
My other favorite tactic may be a bit controversial. Rule A 11.4 gives a side a -2 DRM to its ambush dr if a part of the force is concealed. Rule A 12.11 seems to indicate that a dummy stack is a concealed unit, ergo a dummy stack appears to give that side a -2 dRM to its ambush roll. Moreover, it appears that if the dummy stack ambushes the enemy, it may immediately withdraw as per A 11.41. Finally, note that A 11.19 says that "Dummy units are automatically removed prior to attack designation in CC ....". This seems to cororborate my claim that this procedure is legal, as removal of dummies does not take place until after the ambush dr is made. Opinions may differ as to the legality (or sleazeality) of this maneuver; this is how I have played it, but others may view the situation differently, so check your opponent's opinion before springing this on him in the middle of a battle.
(11) Setup/right of inspection
Remember that the enemy has right of inspection only to those units to which he has an LOS, so don't let him flip through stacks he can't see to find that HMG or whatever. Note also that your opponent does not have right of inspection of your forces during his setup, even if your units are unconcealed. Thus, you should not put that 10-3 leader on top your stack during setup, so that your opponent knows exactly where to drop his OBA/Stuka/King Tiger/whatever. Some players go to the extent of letting leaders in stacks possess the SW so that the top counter in the stack is simply a squad/half squad with no clue as to the leader/SW beneath. During the first Rally phase, he then transfers the weapon to the squad.
(12) Boresighting
Remember that if your opponent enters from offboard, you may boresight your heavy weapons. If I had a dollar for everytime I forgot this rule, I could buy a new ASL set. Keep in mind, however, that if a squad and an MG fire on a boresighted hex, that the boresighting DRM is not applicable, while if MG fired alone, the DRM would apply.
(13) Long Range Firepower
If the terrain and your OB permit it, it is often valuable to hit the enemy at the longest range possible. For example, if you have some MG's, and a tall buidling, you may wish to put the MG's in an upper level location if they have good LOS to the enemy. A combination 2-4-7, HMG, 8-1 in an upper building level can make movement quite hazardous out to 16 or more hexes.
Note also that a mortar is just as effective at 20 hexes as he is at 2 hexes. If you can put them that far back, they won't catch as much fire, and if they have some good LOS they can be just as effective as if they were up close and personal. Note however, that you are not permitted to fire mortars from buildings (EXC Roofless factory).
(14) Deployment
Although deployed units tend to lose firepower and range, the added flexibility of having two units instead of one often offsets this disadvantage. Some uses of half squads in defense include the following.
Use half squads to man mortars. Remember that a unit manning a mortar loses acquisition on its target if it uses its inherent firepower. For this reason, and because I like to keep my mortars in the back, I prefer half squads for the job.
For the same reasons, I like to man MMG's and HMG's with half squads, at least if I am at a distance from the enemy. If the enemy is going to get close however, you may need that extra firepower that the full squad's inherent FP provides, both for attack and for CC.
Another use of half squads is for the occasional DIP missions (DIP=Die in Place). If the sacrifice of a unit can buy some critically important time, let it be a half squad rather than a full squad.
Finally, if you have a great deal of area to cover with only a few units, it may make sense to use half squads, especially on the flanks. The first reason for using half squads is that you can simply cover more ground that way. The other advantage is that generally one of the flanks is ignored, and a unit that is 20 hexes from the battle is essentially combat ineffective until it gets closer. If half squads man the flanks, you are losing less of your force due to dispersion.
(15) Planning
All of these tactics however, are meaningless unless they are in the context of some larger plan. I am not suggesting that you come up with a plan prior to the start of the game and try to stick with it throughout play; I doubt that it could even be done. On the other hand, you should always have in your mind an idea of what you are trying to do, and how you want to accomplish that goal. Don't be afraid to change plans as the scenario ebbs and flows, but try to remain dogged. Personally, I try to choose a general strategy at the outset of the game, and then plan ahead for two or so turns.
Next........
Basic Tactics 102- Infantry Attacks.
I'm putting the final touches on some scenarios to go along with Achtung! Panzer! They are short, sweet, and provide a little lesson in building a RG company or platoon.
They also recreate some actions which are central to Achtung! Panzer! For example, a river crossing and light tank action.
Some playtests were made at a gathering at my place this past month, and with the random outcomes which are possible when using the RG company system, the balance is impossible to work out--but they are nearly balanced as you can get.
For example, in one scenario, a German infantry company came in depleted, with virtually no SW and crappy leadership. But they got to come in first, and with the victory hexes within reach on turn 1, they managed to hold out against a very good French group.
Cpt. Tienham looked out with his field glasses across to the Russian lines. A glint of sunlight of glass told him there was something out there, then, he caught the outline of a camoflagued T-34. Then another. And another. "Better get me division on the line." He said quietly.
Off Board Artillery (OBA) is one of the last components of the Basic ASL system that most players tackle. Yet it is a remarkable part of the WWII battlefield. A huge percentage of battle casualties (75-80%) were caused by artillery. It is truly the most deadly weapon available to the ASL battlefield commander.
There are a number of reasons why ASL artillery doesn't reflect reality very well. First, in WWII, no army regularly engaged in artillery "on-call". The methods of directing and firing long-range artillery were not sophisticated enough.
During WWII, when a German artillery unit got the order to fire, the guns were unlimbered and ammunition brought up. The signal troops would lay cable from the division headquarters to both the guns and the observation posts (in most cases) and to individual units or forward observers (in rare cases). The artillery officer at division responded to the incoming reports of the forward observers and observation posts, the needs of the Divisional commander and assigned duties to the four gun "units" which comprised the artillery registered.
Almost always, Artillery had to be pre-registered by test firing, the timing of the barrage was signaled by field phone, radio or flare (a red flare called down the fire on the enemy, a white let observers know where friendly troops were and a green called the fire mission off.)
Essentially, the organization of the Artillery regiment within a division was fairly simple: Regimental staff, three "light" abteilungen and one "heavy" abteilung, and a supply train. This is oversimplified, however. A 1940 German artillery regiment contained: 114 officers, 10 administrators, 427 non-coms and 2321 enlisted men (for a total of 2872). It was equipped with 776 saddle horses, 874 light draft horses and 558 heavy draft horses. It contained 48 guns, 240 horse drawn vehicles, 76 cars, 80 trucks and 57 motorcycles (some with sidecars). It also had 24 MG34 for anti-air and close defense support. Later, horses were replaced with halftracks and draft carts were replaced with trucks--ideally, though this was never completely implemented.
The abteilungen (or units) were comprised of far more than just guns. Each had it's own radio platoon, with a number of backup systems to ensure communications were established. An abteilung would also have ammunition trains, observers and a veterinarian.
Each abteilung was an independently available firing entity. It's missions were controlled by the regimental commander, who was generally near the divisional commander. The regimental commander got his information from forward observers, infantry unit liaisons, or observation posts.
It's very interesting to note that forward observers (even in the Wehrmacht, which was very advanced in the direction of artillery), were always attached by the artillery regiment. These were Leutnant, Wachtmeister or perhaps a Unteroffizier who were experienced artillerymen, never infantry commanders. These attached artillerymen were assigned to a focal point along with radiomen.
It was a different system for Battalion mortar, of course. Battalion had it's own signal personnel, and this personnel laid the commications cable, which also served as a link to battalion mortar. The fire control was in the hands of the heavy weapons company commander, but spotting, etc., was usually controlled by the infantry company commanders, because the heavy weapons company did not have its own signal or observation personnel. Battalion mortar was on the whole less accurate, but more available and more timely.
The type of gun used by the Germans changed little over the course of the war. The "Leichtefeldhowitzer" (lFH18) was the 105MM howitzer, and was a very reliable, portable weapon. Very often, toward the end of the war, this gun had to serve as an impromptu anti-armor gun, as the 37L gun, and later the 50L gun, the Panzerjaeger battalion's main weaponry, fell behind Soviet armor advancements. The lFH18 was retrofitted with a muzzle brake in 1941 which improved firing performance by about 18%. It was noted for its simplicity of use.
The "Schwerefeldhowitzer" was similar in design to the lFH18, but it sported a heavy hitting 150MM gun. It was also markedly heavier, and had to be broken down into two loads to be transported. Each of the loads was drawn by a six draft horse team. In 1942 the sFH18 was retrofitted with a muzzle brake and it's weight was decreased by about a half. The re-christened sFH36 could be transported in one load.
The "Schweregranatewerfer" was an 81MM (later 120MM) mortar used in battalion heavy weapons company. Each company contained 6 sGW, broken down in 3 squads. The Germans actually referred to the heavy weapons company as a Machine Gun company.
The howitzers used a variety of fuses for their shells, depending on their needs. There were two sorts of Impact fuses, one for busting fortifications and one for use against softer targets. There were delay fuses as well, which allowed the shell to bounce up and explode 15 meters high, showering the target area with shrapnel.
There was also, of course, a smoke shell produced for all the various guns used. An artillery regiment generally kept over 4500 rounds of lFH ammunition (weighing over 104 tons) and 1080 rounds of sFH ammunition.
In numerous cases, of course, the artillery could use this supply in a very short time (firing 8 shells a minute, the regiment could theoretically unload their entire supply in under 15 minutes...) Also, the sFH was a monster to move in bad weather of any sort. While moving through western Europe, this was not a major problem, but this created logistical nightmares for troops crossing the vast plains of western Russia.
In game terms, too, OBA does on an ASL battlefield what it did on the WWII battlefield--kill the enemy. Even the relatively light 75MM barrage is pretty evil. The fact that artillery is hardest on troops on the move is also clearly represented by the application of TEM. Troops under cover fare far better than troops in the woods or troops in the open.
In ASL terms, it's quite easy to see that OBA is one of the more abstracted parts of the game. This is necessary, because of the omnicient nature of ASL players. New rules could be developed to bring artillery use more in line with reality, but OBA is quite complex enough on it's own. It is very difficult to simulate the number of things which could happen when a forward observer calls for the intervention of the heavy hitters, and ASL does this fairly well.
Wild West Fest, the first all net-inspired and coordinated ASL tournament (actually Dade snuck in some MtG cards last year and was beaten severely for it...) is on tap again later this month in Park City, Utah. There will be at least 40 people there, up from last year's 25, and this tournament will only get bigger.
Due to circumstances not entirely beyond my control, I won't be there, but I have been to Park City to look over the venue and I can say without equivocation that they will not disappoint.
Wild West Fest grew from a centralized gathering of a few western folk to a big gathering of folks from as far away as northern Alberta (Happy Canada Day, late, y'all) and freakin' Philly (watchoo lookin' at?). There are a number of sponsors this year sending goodies, including Critical Hit and Time on Target.
Added into the WWF trophy mix this year is the Lilly Langtree Trophy, which will be held in trust by Tim Wilson (well, not a lot of trust, really but he's the most trustworthy of the lot...) A beautiful portrait of the West's leading lady and dotted with the names of former first place finishers (Youse only right now).
Check out the WWF web page at http://www.cudenver.edu/~thundsdo/wwf.html or e-mail Tim Wilson for details at tim_wilson@nols.edu
Well, this Digest was too damn long. But that's O...K..., I'm entitled to run on sometimes. Because I'm good enough...
Next Digest: Probably a new, original scenario from Hannes Riener. Keep it simple, stupid: Easy, basic tricks to improve your ASL play. The German PzKwIV. Playing the Monster Pack scenarios. Likely, this is the last Digest that gets sent to the stealth list, so enjoy your elite status while it lasts...you are about to be Replaced (A. well, whatever, I know it's in chapter A.)
Once again, copyrights apply as applicable, offer void in those countries where U.S. copyright law does not apply, unless applicable through international law, in which case it may apply, I'm not sure. (My lawyer is really stupid.)