Strength through unity [Belgian (BR) side]

[UP844]

WARNING: this is an overly meticolous, hyper-detailed, step-by-step AAR. Stop reading if you are afraid of losing your faith or breaking the Party line.

Set-up

I expect the AI to set up in trench or woods hexes: this means the hexes marked A to E. The right (South side of the map) provides more cover (grain fields), but that same terrain will slow the advance and in this scenario speed is essential.

I then decided to attack along the North side: in the Fire Segment of Turn 1 my light mortar will hopefully be more effective firing on woods hexes (D and E), and the B** leader with the MMG should be able to deal with any Germans in the entrenchment (C).

The 2nd line squads will then move to scout ahead and the 1st line squads will move East, with the C leader to provide C&C. Any German units in A or B would only be able to fire with MGs (the red shaded area shows the maximum range for inherent FP of a 1st line squad in A). As a consequence, my units should (hopefully) be shielded by the intervening grain hexes.

[UP844]

Turn 1 - Belgian

At the start of the Fire Segment, four German 1st line squads appear on the map: three of them are where I expected them, the fourth (armed with a LMG) is deployed further down the road.

[UP844]

Turn 1 - Belgian

After the Fire Segment.

The light mortar fires on the northernmost German squad and breaks and CR's it.
The B** leader directs fire by 3x1st line squads and a MMG and breaks and CR's the adjacent squad, which also fails its Experience check and becomes a 2nd line HS.
The 2nd line squad manning the Lt Mtr fires at the other squad with no additional effect.

[UP844]

Turn 1 - Belgian

End of the Movement Segment

All the Belgian squads that didn't fire move East using Double Time and arrive adjacent to the broken German HS's.

They will fire at 1/2 Firepower (1/2 for moving, 1/2 for being tired, 2x for Point Blank Fire), but this will anyway mean a respectable 7 FP for the LMG-armed stack adjacent to both the German units.

[UP844]

Turn 1 - Belgian

Advancing Fire

"Fire first with the units that only see a single target"

The C leader and his two 1st line squads fire on the GE HS adjacent to them and eliminate it.
The LMG-armed stack then fires at the remaining HS causing no damage.
Finally, the three 2nd line squads fire 3 FP at the lone German squad in the south woods through a huge number of hindrance hexes (four or five), just for the fun of it: I suppose the best result they could achieve by rolling a "2" is a Pin, which in this case is utterly useless, but I am known as a trigger-happy maniac [:D].

[UP844]

Turn 1 - Belgian

Advance Segment

A 1st line squad advances in the North woods and finds the broken HS (as expected) and a C* leader with another 1st line squad and a MMG.
The other squads do not enter the woods and discover another 1st line squad near the already known LMG-armed squad.
The squads that fired in the Fire segment advance so that the two squads carrying the Lt Mtr and the MMG are stacked with the B** leader.

[UP844]

Turn 1 - German

Fire segment

The MMG-armed squad in the North woods fires point-blank on the adjacent Belgian 1st line squad and breaks it.
The LMG-armed squad fires (LMG only) on the stack on the road with no effect

Movement segment

The German squad near the south edge of the map moves towards the eastern map edge and the exit hexes.

All Belgian units fire in the Movement and Defensive fire segment, without causing any damage.

[UP844]

Turn 2 - Belgian

Fire Segment - none

Movement Segment

The 2nd line squads move first, to scout ahead (and to draw enemy fire)
As soon as the first squad moves, it spots a German D* leader and a HS armed with a Lt Mtr. The squad continues moving and the Lt Mtr fires three times at it with no effect.

The other 2nd line squads follow different paths to avoid residual fire and the most advanced is broken by fire from the German squad firing through three grain field hexes with a net +1 DRM (+3 hindrance, -1 FFNAM, -1 FFMO).

The rest of the Belgian units move east and position themselves to attack the Lt Mtr and LMG in their next fire segments.

[UP844]

Turn 1 - Belgian

There is no German defensive fire (all the eligible units have already fired in the Movement Segment)

Advancing fire

The B** leader stack fires at the LMG; all other Belgian units fire at the Lt Mtr. No damage inflicted.

Rout Segment

The broken 2nd line squad uses Low Crawl to avoid interdiction from the German Lt Mtr.

Advance Segment

Belgian units move further east; the most advanced squad will be more than 2 hexes away from the nearest leader (the B**) and risks going OOC in the next turn.

[UP844]

Turn 2 - German

Fire Segment

The Lt Mtr fires 3 times at the LMG-armed stack with no effect
The 1st line squad in the grain field also fires at the LMG stak with no effect (at least +4 hindrance DRM)

Movement Segment

The German MMG stack (C*+1st line/MMG+2nd line HS) reappears from the North woods.
The B** leader stack follows the principle "fire separately when the DRM is less than zero, fire together when the DRM is more than zero".
What follows is a live demonstration of the lethality of the First/Final fire combined with high DRM leaders.
1) The Lt Mortar fires first (with a -2 To Hit DRM provided by the leader): it hits, Pins the leader and breaks the squad and the HS. It retains ROF, but the 2nd shot does no damage.
2) The MMG-armed 1st line squad First Fires (8 FP @ -2 DRM) and Casualty Reduces the already broken full squad
3) The other 1st line squad First Fires (4 FP @ -2 DRM) and breaks the German leader
4) The MMG-armed 1st line squad Final Fires (4 FP @ -2 DRM) and wounds the German leader
5) The other 1st line squad Final Fires (2 FP @ -2 DRM) with no effect

Defensive Fire Segment

The LMG-armed stack fires at the Lt Mtr, eliminates the HS and breaks its leader. The LMG retains ROF and fire 3 more times at the leader with no effect.
The remaining Belgian units fire at the LMG-armed squad without harming it.

Rout Segment

The broken 2nd line unit joins the C* leader in the trench hex

[UP844]

Turn 3 - Belgian

Fire Segment - none

Movement Segment

A just rallied 2nd line squad corners the broken units that came out of the woods.
All the other Belgian units move East, with the aim of exiting from the northernmost Exit hexes.
The LMG squad and the squad in the grain field both fire but fail to cause any damage.

[UP844]

Turn 3 - Belgian

Advancing Fire

Everybody fires at the German LMG squad; the B** leader stack breaks it

Rout Segment

The German C* leaders and its units are eliminated due to Failure to Rout

[UP844]

Turn 3 - Belgian

Advance Segment

All Belgian units advance farther East; the B** leader stack advances so as to fire on the broken LMG squad and leader in the next Defensive Fire Segment.

[UP844]

Turn 3 - German

Fire Segment

The squad in the grain field fires at the closest Belgian stack with no effect.

Defensive Fire Segment

All the Belgian units fire at the broken LMG and leader: no damage is caused, and the MMG malfunctions.

Rout Segment

The German broken units rout farther away.

The screen below is taken before the Belgian Movement Segment in Turn 4, but the situation depicted is exactly as it was at the end of the German Turn 3.

[UP844]

Turn 4 - Belgian

Fire Segment - none

Movement Segment

A 1st line squad scouting ahead finds a German 1st line squad, which fires and breaks it.
A 2nd line squad moving in the woods moves adjacent to the just discovered squad (which Final Fires and then Final Protective Fires, failing its Morale Check [:D]). Unfortunately, the LMG-armed squad and the leader have rallied and Pin it.
The German squad in the grain field First and Final Fires on two Belgian squads that move North away from its normal range to safety and then turn East.
All the other Belgian units move East: a couple squads reach the Exit hexes but do not exit the map.

Advancing Fire

All the eligible units fire at the LMG-armed squad with no effect.

[UP844]

Turn 4 - Belgian

Belgian Rout segment

The broken 1st line unit joins the B** leader

German Rout segment

The broken German squad joins the D* leader and the LMG squad

Advance Segment

The MMG and Lt Mtr squad advance to engage the German LMG squad; all other Belgian units advance closer to the Exit hexes

[UP844]

Turn 4 - German

Administrative Segment

The Belgians repair the broken MMG

Fire Segment

The German LMG squad fires at the MMG/Lt Mtr stack and breaks a 2nd line squad.

Movement Segment

The German squad in the Grain field moves directly East towards the closer Exit hexes (without coming closer to the Belgians).

Defensive Fire Segment

The Belgian Lt Mtr fires 2 times, breaking the D* leader and the LMG squad, and Casualty Reducing the broken squad.
The HMG and the 1st line squad fire at the same target with no effect.
The LMG stack fires at the same units, wounds the leader and Casualty Reduces both squads, killing a HS.
Fire from the remaining Belgian units kills everybody else in the hex.

THE WAY EAST IS CLEAR!

[UP844]

Turn 5 - Belgian

7 squads and a HS exit the map.

Both leaders, the MMG and Lt Mtr could also exit, but they will wait until the B** leader rallies the broken unit.

[UP844]

Turn 6 - Belgian

All the remaining Belgian units exit the map.

[Hailstone]

Nice.[;)]