There Once Was A Little Column... [German side]

[UP844]

According to the scenario description, I should meet some Stuarts first and then a pair of Shermans. Afterwards, I should enjoy a nice house-to-house combat with American paratroopers in Marvie.

I plan to use the 251s (except the 75mm armed one) to recon the battlefield and to locate the Stuarts; the Pz IVs will then move forward to engage: they should be relatively immune to 37mm fire, as long as I show them the front aspect. The Shermans will be tougher opponents, but what I really worry about is the possible presence of some 57mm AT guns.

The StuG and the Pz IV on the right hill will either provide support fire against any American units in the plain, or rush forward on the right flank.

The German infantry will - if possible - move along the central road to close on Marvie as soon as possible. If enemy units are present, they will take the more sheltered route to the right.

[UP844]

Here come the Stuarts, sitting in a nice column along the road. I don't think they will last long. Time to fire...

[UP844]

TURN 1
Turn 1 - German

Fire Segment
4 Pz IV fire on as many Stuarts: 2 miss, 1 immobilised and 1 failed to penetrate (!)

Movement Segment
The leftmost 251 moves forward, taking fire from the Stuarts and a 60mm mortar. It spots a Sherman and then two Airborne squads in Marvie, then is STUNNED by fire from the latter, blocking the leftmost road into Marvie.
The remaining three 251s are all stunned by Stuart fire.
The Pz IV and the StuG on the right move to engage the Stuarts.
The 251s back in the woods move to the right, behind the hill.
Infantry moves in the wooden buildings in the center (the Stuarts have tiny guns, but their MGs hurt exactly like those of a King Tiger)

Defensive Fire Segment
None - the Stuarts fired in the Movement Segment

Advancing Fire Segment
The Pz IV and the StuG fire on the Stuarts, just for fun (and miss, as expected).

[UP844]

Turn 1 - American
Fire Segment
Stuarts fire on the 251s and kill 3 of them, including the 75mm back in the rear.
The 60mm mortar fires on the German infantry with no effect.

Defensive Fire Segment
The Pz IVs and the StuG kill all Stuarts.
German infantry fires its MGs at the 60mm mortar fires with no effect.

[UP844]

TURN 2
Turn 2 - German

Movement Segment
The lone surviving 251 on the right moves forward: both the Sherman and the 60mm mortar fire at it and miss (and the mortar breaks down)
The German infantry moves on the right, sheltered from the Sherman and taking care to stay at 5+ hexes from the American airborne squad.
Three Pz IVs (the fourth is OOC) move forward to engage the Sherman, which has already fired its gun at the 251.
The Pz IV, StuG and two 251 on the right move along the rightmost road.
Advancing Fire Segment
With a good dose of luck, a Pz IV destroys the Sherman firing after moving.
Everybody else on the German side fires at the lone AB squad with the mortar, but they only manage to pin it.

[UP844]

Turn 2 - American

Movement Segment
Much to my surprise, the American airborne squad Assault Moves back towards Marvie with its broken mortar (I expected it to stand and die).
A Pz IV and a 251 fire but with no effect.
Defensive Fire Segment
The Pz IV fires its BMG with no effect.
All other German units have no American units in sight.

[UP844]

TURN 3
Turn 3 - German

Fire Segment
The Pz IV and the 251 fire at the AB squad with no effect

Movement Segment
One of the 251s on the right flank goes up the hill and discovers the American squad has repaired its 60mm mortar, even though the fire has no effect.
The other 251 dashes forward along the road (taking advantage of being CE and, as a consequence, of being able to use the 1/2 MP road movement rate). It spots other AB squads in the buildings on the bottom edge of Marvie, an AB squad armed with a .50 cal (which does not fire at a range of 3 hexes) and stops 5 hexes away from another AB squad in a building on the top edge of the town. No signs of Shermans.
The StuG and the Pz IV on the right also dash forward, moving along the road at the base of the hill.
The Pz IVs and the infantry move closer to Marvie.
Advancing Fire Segment
A Pz IV fires on the .50 cal, with no effect
Two stacks of German infantry fire on the AB squad with the mortar, breaking and CR'ing it.

[UP844]

Turn 1 - American
Defensive Fire Segment
A Pz IV kills the .50cal-armed AB squad.
German infantry kills the HS armed with the 60mm mortar.
German MMG fire breaks an AB squad in the bottom edge of Marvie.
The 251 at the top edge fires on the AB squad with no effect (actually, this AFV is there to interdict any possible routing units rather than to cause damage).

[UP844]

TURN 4
Turn 4 - German

Fire Segment
The 251 in the north fires again, with no effect

Now, let's teach the AI some lesson about Maneuver and Fire... (the cyan arrows show the intended moves; there are other German units behind that will also advance in the center).

[UP844]

Movement Segment
German infantry moves forward; unfortunately, I moved 1 hex too far and one of my stacks takes 7 FP at -3: a FJ squad is killed outright, another squad and a leader are broken.
The Panzers move forward and take position to fire on the American paratroopers.
The StuG spots a M1917 HMG but continues forward, until it spots 2 AB squads with a leader and - bad news - a bazooka.

Defensive Fire Segment
The Bazooka fires at the StuG and misses.

Advancing Fire Segment
The StuG, all the German infantry and 2 Pz IVs fire on the BAZ armed stack hoping to break it, but they only manage to Pin them.
Two PzIVs fire at the American MMG with no effect.

[UP844]

Turn 4 - American
Fire Segment
The Bazooka fires and kills the StuG.
The HMG fires at the 251 in the upper part of the map with no effect.
The AB squads fire at the German stack in the woods, pinning two squads.

Defensive Fire Segment
Many German infantry units are OOC, but they manage to break the two squads in the lower part of Marvie anyway.
Two Panzer IVs fire on the M1917 HMG with no effect.
Two Panzer IV fires on the Bazooka-armed stack and kill all the units in the hex: it's too late to save the StuG, but this will make the advance easier for the German infantry.

Green arrows = American Fire

Cyan arrows = German Defensive Fire

[UP844]

I'm sorry, but I mistakenly deleted the screen I took for Turn 5.

TURN 5
Turn 5 - German

Fire Segment
2 PzIVs fire on M1917 HMG with no effect
The FJ stack in the woods fires on a AB squad that rallied and breaks both the squad and the leader

Movement Segment
2 PzIVs enter Marvie, and one of them stops 3 hexes away from a Bazooka armed squad. It's a risk, but I have a lot of infantry that should be able to neutralize it.
German infantry enters Marvie and surrounds the broken AB squads
Defensive Fire Segment
The Bazooka misses the Pz IV
- American Rout Segment
Two AB squads and a leader are eliminated due to Failure to Rout
Advance Segment
A FJ stack takes the first VP hex.

Turn 5 - American

Fire Segment
The Bazooka misses again the PzIV.
The HMG STUNs a 251, keeps ROF and fires to the German MMG stack with no effect.

Movement Segment
A Sherman comes out from the road between the two hills and stops 2 hexes behind the PzIV in Marvie, adjacent to several German infantry squads (which unfortunately have no AT weapons)

Defensive Fire Segment
Two Pz IVs and a Psk fire at the Sherman but all of them miss.

Advancing Fire Segment
The Sherman fires and hits the PzIV in the rear (a lucky shot, but one of my PzIV did the same to the other Sherman)

[Big Ivan]

Very nice AAR so far UP844![;)]

I never played this one but it looks pretty interesting. I was surprised in the early turns that the US Stuarts
got gunned down so fast! Exceptional shooting on your part to eliminate a whole platoon of tanks that fast![:D]

[UP844]

TURN 6
Turn 6 - German

Fire Segment
A PzIV fires at the M1917 HMG squad and breaks it
A PzIV fires at the Sherman and kills it

Movement Segment
German infantry takes several VP hexes in the center of Marvie
A Pz IV moves north (out of Bazooka range) to attack the B* leader and 2 squads in the building at the top edge of Marvie

Advance Segment
The PzIV above Marvie goes CE to improve its chances to hit

[UP844]

Turn 6 - American
Administrative Segment
The squad with the M1917 HMG self-rallies

Fire Segment
The squad with the M1917 HMG fires at a 251 with no effect

Defensive Fire Segment
The PzIV breaks the B* leader and the 2 squads in the same hex
The other squad in the same building is broken by fire from another PzIV
German infantry fire breaks the HMG squad

[UP844]

TURN 7
Turn 7 - German

Movement Segment
All German infantry & AFVs move for the kill. Unfortunately, I forget to check if any Americans rallied and one of my stacks was caught in the open: 1 FJ is killed, 2 others and their leaders are broken.
Two squads move adjacent to the lone active American stack; one is broken by FPF.
A German squad and a PzIV surround the broken HMG squad

- German Rout Segment
A squad is lost due to Failure to Rout
- American Rout Segment
The HMG-armed squad and a HS are lost due to Failure to Rout
Advance Segment
The German infantry takes other VP hexes. Now, only one VP hex is still controlled by Americans.

[UP844]

Turn 7 - American
Fire Segment
Bazooka fires at PzIV and misses
2 squads fire PB at German stack: 2 FJ squads are broken, the leader is pinned

Defensive Fire Segment
All the German units fire on the B* and the 2 squads in the last VP hex, breaking the squads

- American Rout Segment
The broken American squads route to a wooden building and vacate the VP hex.

[UP844]

TURN 8
Turn 8 - German

Movement Segment
Since no American squads have rallied, there is no one that can fire on the German infantry squads that surround the last stack, together with a Pz IV.
German infantry takes the last VP and achieves a Major Victory for the Germans.
- American Rout Segment
Three American AB squads are killed for Failure to Rout
Advance Segment
Two FJ squads enter CC with the lone American B* leader
Close Combat Segment
The leader is killed in CC

[UP844]

Turn 8 - American / Turn 9 / Turn 10

The Germans redeployed to face a possible late counterattack by some hitherto unseen units, but nothing happened.

I have made some stupid mistakes and I took several perfectly avoidable losses, namely:
- unnecessarily moving (twice!) my infantry within the normal range of US units;
- sending the StuG on a scouting mission: I should have moved it some hexes farther (i.e. out of Bazooka range) from possible US positions.

Thanks Hailstone for a nice scenario!

[UP844]

I never played this one but it looks pretty interesting. I was surprised in the early turns that the US Stuarts got gunned down so fast!

I had a bit of luck, but not too much.
Three PzIVs had already fired at (and acquired) the Stuarts in the German Fire Segment of turn #1, so they had a 72% chance to hit; the Pz IV and the StuG on the hill had no acquisition (58% chance to hit), but they fired at the side aspect of the Stuarts and had a higher chance to kill.

Exceptional shooting on your part to eliminate a whole platoon of tanks that fast![:D]

Pompous reply: It's the Panzer Lehr, did you expect less?[8D]
Sincere reply: Sheer luck!!! [:D]

P.S. In the Battle of the Bulge the Panzer Lehr actually was a shadow of its former self, poorly equipped, trained and led.