Retake Mount Hermon - 10/8/73 - DAR (solo vs. A/I)

[berto]

Not to disparage the A/I too much. Sometimes it is quite capable of making good and clever moves:



After firing once from the orchard hex, the Syrian commandos moved right back into the bus park. I'll need to assault the dang thing once again. [:@]

That is precisely why I risked mad dashing an APC unit to the bus park in the previous turn -- to thwart the Syrians from reoccupying the hex!

[berto]

TURN #12

The surrounding Israelis assault a second time and ... overrun the defenders!

With the bus park won, the Israelis avoid a Major Defeat at least.

The situation after the Turn 12, Side A Israeli phase:



Too many Israeli losses too early in the scenario. Too early on, too lopsided in the Syrians' favor. Poor generalship on my part.

To the north, look at all of those IPs, minefields, etc. Look at all of those Syrian commando units etc. There's no way at all the depleted Israeli force can hope to take the radar station, the two 250-VP Objectives hexes, at the screenshot's north edge. Advancing any more forward, the Israelis would lose more than the Syrians, likely as not.

No, the only hope of salvaging a Draw is to pull back, hope the A/I charges forward, hope the A/I presents the opportunity for the Israelis to fire back at exposed Syrian attackers. Let the table turn, let the Syrians now counterattack (hopefully), let the Israelis defend for a change. Defending is now the better part of valor.

[berto]

TURN #13

Indeed, the Syrians move cautiously to counterattack.

The situation after the Turn 13, Side A Israeli phase:

[berto]

TURN #14

Finally, a stroke of Israeli good luck! The HMG Section/Gimel Company (magenta circle) fired at a 3 SP Syrian commando platoon (red circle), destroying it in one shot!

That to counterbalance the earlier loss of two Israeli SPs in a Syrian IF attack on the bus park. [:(] I'm spreading out my defenders there.

The situation after the Turn 14, Side A Israeli phase:

[berto]

Turn 15 action. More Israeli good fortune:



A single shot from the 1 SP 1st Platoon/Beth Company/17th Mechanized Infantry Battalion (magenta circle) has destroyed a 2 SP Syrian commando platoon (red circle).

Just three turns ago, there were two Syrian commando platoons of 7 SP mucking about my rear area. See here Now they are all gone!

If only I had these lucky die rolls earlier in the scenario! [8|]

[berto]

TURN #15

I still have Syrian commandos lurking behind my lines. The most troublesome are the two Syrian commando platoons occupying the IP (magenta circle). I am diverting forces (turquoise circles) away from the front to assemble around the Syrians. The two stacks of halftracks among them: moving them so close is a calculated risk. If the Syrians leave their IP, if they move eastward to attack the APCs, they might kill a couple. On the other hand, they would be met with a hail of return opportunity fire. More importantly, the Syrians will be drawn out of their Improved Position, allowing my units to the west to take over. A gamble, but a risk worth taking.

The situation after the Turn 15, Side A Israeli phase:



The losses, both sides, are beginning to even out. There is a chance I can still salvage a Draw in this scenario. Stay tuned.

[berto]

TURN #16

Patiently holding back, firing at targets of opportunity. At least 3 Syrian kills this turn (red circles).

The situation after the Turn 16, Side A Israeli phase:



For the first time in this battle, Syrian SP losses outnumber Israeli. But because Israeli units are generally more valuable, the Israelis still come out second best in Point losses, 213 Syrian to 243 Israeli.

I've expended all of my available airstrikes (initially 3), but I still have the howitzers. With luck, they will make up the difference.

[berto]

In 3D, the scene on the left. The battle for the IP:

[berto]

Turn 17 action ...

Fire from the HMG and infantry at the westward IP, also mechanized infantry of Beth Company advancing through the orchard from the east. Result? 2 SP Syrian loss, and both commando platoons were forced to retreat, vacating the IP!

With only APCs in the vicinity having unused APs, hence able to move into the IP hex, I ordered one halftrack unit forward to take the IP. The APCs (magenta circle) then fired on the Syrian unit to the SW (red circle), destroying it!



I subsequently ordered the other four Israeli APC units nearby to advance into the IP hex:



At last! All three IPs on the left have fallen!

[berto]

TURN #17

With my howitzers, targeting vulnerable Syrian units on the far side of the ridge.

The situation after the Turn 17, Side A Israeli phase:



Three more turns to even the Point Losses and squeeze out a Draw. Can I do it?

[berto]

Turn 18 action ...

Israelis fire at the Syrian trucks on the opposite ridge, destroying them! At last! (Not that any competent human opponent would have left them in a clear, exposed position like that. [8|])

[berto]

TURN #18

With the job done taking the IP, the Israeli APCs swing around to the east and the south, positioning themselves in case the Syrian commandos decide to escape southeastward.

The situation after the Turn 18, Side A Israeli phase:



Getting close to that Draw!

[berto]

TURN #19

The A/I Syrians are doing what I hoped: Sallying forth, out in the open, in uncoordinated, piecemeal attack. While the Israelis, in their protected positions, force them right back, if they don't kill a few first.

The situation after the Turn 19, Side A Israeli phase:



I now have my Draw! Can I keep it?

[berto]

In case anybody is wondering why I don't send my one remaining M51 Sherman (turquoise circle) on a wild dash around the Syrian right:



For one thing, rather two, see those IPs (magenta circle) alongside the road? It's reasonable to suppose that they are manned by Syrians.

For another, the road network is too circuitous.

No, there is no fast, easy path to the Israeli Hermon radar station. And more likely than not, I would be shot up trying to get there. The Sherman (and the RCLR) stays put.

[berto]

TURN #20

Where do you guys (magenta circles) think you're going? [8|]

The situation after the Turn 20, Side A Israeli phase:



Almost over now. The Syrians just need to take their turn.

[berto]

The Syrians got lucky and killed one Israeli mech infantry SP (red circle). With a bit more luck -- and better targeted artillery IF -- they might have killed one or two more, giving them back their victory.

The situation at scenario's conclusion:



In the end, a Draw. But just barely. I was quite fortunate to squeeze this one out.

Postmortem to follow.

[berto]

I always wonder about scenarios like this: One force attacking an entrenched other at roughly 1:1 force ratio. Remember the classic old AH combat results table (CRT)? (Probably not. Probably most of you young'uns don't go back that far.) Back in the old days, you took a risk attacking at 1:1 odds, much more so at 2:1 (because your attackers risked being wiped out entirely in the attack). Typically you tried to arrange 3:1 odds or even better. This Retake Mount Hermon scenario is more like a 1:2 attack: roughly equal forces, with the defender doubled because in mountainous terrain, and entrenched. Very difficult!

By turn 5 or so, I knew I had lost any chance of victory. Actually, I threw away any chance of victory on turn 1, by committing to a broad front attack. Big mistake assigning the 51st Mechanized Infantry Battalion to attack the left. Of course sending them off with the hope they could waltz around the Syrian right and attack the radar station from the rear -- of course such hope was fantastic. Of course the Syrians would have prepared for that. Which they in fact had.

No, it would have been better to smash the center, with full force. Instead, I dissipated my forces in "fancy" flanking maneuvers. A bad misreading of the situation.

I made other mistakes, too, the worst of them when I advanced that loaded halftrack too near the enemy. Bam! Both APCs and passengers destroyed. I lost about 8 SPs, and 40 VPs, right then and there. Too many losses too early. Early on, I dug myself into a hole so deep I was fortunate to get out of near the end.

No fast paced tank action in this scenario. Probably boring to a lot of you armored fans. Rising Sun being my favorite JTCS title, though, in this scenario I felt right at home.

In the scenario description, this scenario is marked "H2H". If you look through the Manual's Scenario List, you will see where most scenarios are marked "H2H". Rest assured though that many of those scenarios, like this one, play well enough in solo play. Indeed, in this scenario, I pity anybody playing the Iraelis against any competent Syrian human opponent. H2H, how could the Israelis possibly win this one? The Syrians are no pushovers in this scenario. Those Syrian commandos are tough!