025 - Counterattack at Carentan

[UP844]

German: AI
American: Human
Difficulty: Very hard (what else? [:D])

Basically, the Americans must slow the German attackers until the Shermans arrive on turn 4. Once the tanks arrive, the Germans have very little chance to take any VP hex, especially the northernmost one (which is worth 4 VP and is essential to achieve a victory).

Game Turn 1

German player turn

The Marder III fires on one of the bazooka-armed HS, the StuGs fire on the other, with no effect at all.
German infantry moves forward, taking a eastern route to avoid fire from the American MMG.
The American 57mm fires on the StuH (the most dangerous AFV for infantry: the Marder has few HE rounds and the StuG has a much weaker 75mm gun): it keeps ROF and fires 2 shots, but no hits are achieved.

American player turn

The 57mm continues firing on the StuH, but does not hit the German vehicle.
OBA is called and arrives, but it falls outside the map and is wasted.
The German AFVs continue firing on the bazooka-armed HS, without any effect; the StuG MA breaks down.

Game Turn 2

German player turn

The Marder III fires again on the bazooka-armed HS with no effect and using its last HE round. Until the Shermans appear, this vehicle cannot harm the Americans. On the other hand, the StuH hits the western bazooka team, which breaks.
German infantry continues moving towards the village: American squads firing at long range break two squads.
The 57mm hits and kills the StuH and also keeps ROF: it fires another round to the StuG (which has not repaired its MA, but is the only German HE-capable vehicle remaining) but misses.
OBA is called and - miracle! - gets contact, battery access and falls into the intended hex (see image).
The German leader (with a squad) advances out of the OBA target area.

American player turn
The broken bazooka team rallies.
OBA kills 1 squad and 1 leader.
The 57mm fires again to the StuG with no effect.

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Turn 3

German player turn

The German does not fire at all in the Fire Segment (the StuG still has its MA broken, the Marder has no more HE and the infantry squads have no targets within their normal range).
German infantry close the range to the Americans; the Marder III starts and advances towards the village, finally stopping in 6,22 [&:].
The western Bazooka team and the 57mm gun fire at the Marder with no effect (if I do not stop the Marder now, it could take at least 2 VP hexes in its next Movement Segment); US infantry fires on the German infantry that is dangerously close now, but it only pins 2 German squads (at least they will not move in the Advance segment).
There are no units in the OBA area of effect.

The attached image shows the situation at the end of the American defensive fire on turn 3.

American player turn

The 57mm and a Bazooka team fire on the Marder and both of them miss.
Infantry fire on German infantry has no effect
The Bazooka team in 9,19 moves back to 8,23 to avoid German defensive fire [:D].
The Forward Observer moves where it can see - and hopefully hit with OBA - the German stack in 8,23.
German defensive fire breaks a squad and pins a leader.

[UP844]

Turn 4

German player turn

German infantry is close enough to cause some serious damage: its fire breaks everyone and then CR'd a squad (red circle in image #1).



The Marder III stars moving towards the VP hexes, but it comes adjacent to the 57mm, which kills it with a point-blank shot (and keeps ROF too!) (image #2).



The FO calls OBA on the German stack in 8,23 but it drifts off-map and is wasted.
The 57mm gun crew goes berserk and fires 2 additional shots on the German infantry with little effect (1 pinned squad) and remains with no HE rounds.
The American units broken in the German Fire segment rout to the house at the southern edge of the village (image #3).

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Turn 4

American player turn

The Cavalry at the rescue: the Shermans enter from the north edge of the map. In the Reinforcement segment, I turned all tanks to face south (saving several MPs) and changed their crew status from Buttoned Up to Crew Exposed: this allows them using reduced road movement cost and avoiding the BU To Hit penalty. Should I need to come close to the enemy, I can use the single status change allowed in the Movement Segment to button them up again.

The 57mm, even though threatened by German infantry, has no more HE rounds, so it fires to the StuG but misses.
Infantry fire does nothing at all, not even a "Pin" result, and OBA does not get in contact.

In the Movement Segment, the Sherman take position just out of the German infantry normal range.
German infantry fire kills everyone in the 57mm hex, with the exception of a HS, which will run back in the Rout Segment.

In the Advancing Fire segment, the Shermans fire on the two SS stacks with everything they have (including the AAMGs): they cause no damage, but gain acquisition (except Sherman #1, which breaks down its MA).

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Turn 5

German player turn

The StuG is back and fires to the Sherman east of the village, missing it (I wonder how many hindrance To Hit DRMs affect this shot).
German infantry fires on the squad and bazooka team in 9,19 (west edge) and breaks them all.
A German stack with a leader and 3 Fsj squads moves in the open [X(] towards the American MG, which fires but does not damage [X(]. The half squads that routed here in the previous turns, however, fire with a vengeance and break the whole stack.
The SS squads also try advancing, but fire from the Shermans stop them as soon as they move, leaving only a single squad unharmed (see image).
The American broken units rout to the wooden house next to the firts VP hex.

The scenario basically ended here.

Nothing significant happened in the American player turn of Turn 5 or in the subsequent turns 6 and 7.
The Shermans wiped out any attempt to advance made by one or two German squads at a time, and kept any broken units at "broken+" status by firing at them with their AAMGs.
The StuG achieved a hit on a Sherman, but it did not penetrate and I didn't ever bother to fire back (the StuG is smaller and there are many orchard and grain hexes hindering fire).

In my opinion a human German will have some trouble winning this scenario: for the AI, it is a quite impossible task.

[Peter Fisla]

This was a great AAR, seems like the AI forces are a bit weak in this stock scenario; I will let Jorgen know.

[marcdhanna]

Nice one!

[UP844]

The same scenario, with reversed roles: American AI, German human player (Difficulty level Very hard, FoW on).

I do not share the AI cautiousness with AFVs: these are assault guns, after all and they were designed to support attacking infantry. The Marder, as previously stated, is almost useless in this role, so it will only come into play when Shermans enter the map.

As regards to target priority, the 57mm AT gun comes first, then the bazooka teams and finally, the MMG. Once (and if) these units are killed US infantry should have little chance against the German infantry that is longer ranged and has higher morale (not to mention AFV support [:D]).

A first game ended in disaster at the very start, as the 57mm (crewed by Chuck Norris, I suppose) killed both StuGs in the American Defensive Fire of Turn 1, kept ROF and broke 2 SS squads (Rico, are you reading??).

Turn 1

German player turn

In the Pre-game segment, I changed the status of both StuGs from Buttoned Up (BU) to Crew Exposed (CE), to get better accuracy and to be able to use the AAMG.
The StuGs moved along the road until they reached a point where they can have a clear shot to the 57mm and more than 4 hexes away from the Bazooka teams. Infantry followed the AFVs, avoiding the western part of the map which is under fire from the US MMG. The Marder takes cover behind a wood: the American gunners are not in the mood to shoot at it (they fire at the StuG, missing it altogether), and the fragile AFV is safe.
In the Advancing Fire Segment, both StuGs fire at the AT gun, more to get acquisition than to achieve an improbable hit.

American player turn

In the American Fire Segment, OBA hits an empty area, the 57mm misses the StuG and the MMG achieves nothing.
German fire in the Defensive Fire Segment is also ineffective, with the exception of the StuG, which breaks the leader and squad and kills the 57mm crew (stroke of luck #1)

[UP844]

Turn 2

German player turn

No German Fire (on the attack, I prefer firing in the Defensive Fire Segment, so as to be able to move in my Player Turn)
German infantry moves forward and StuGs take position to fire at the bazooka teams.
American OBA in the Defensive Fire Segment breaks a foolish Fsj which entered its target area
In the Advancing Fire Segment, the StuH misses the west bazooka team with the 105mm gun, but its AAMg breaks it; the StuG misses the east one, which is broken by fire from the advancing infantry. (stroke of luck #2)

American player turn

American OBA strikes hard and breaks 4 German squads (and could also have been dangerous for the CE StuGs)
In the Defensive Fire Segment, the StuH breaks the west squad and leader with a well-placed 105mm round, while the StuG hits the east squad that breaks, suffers CR and fails its experience check; the accompanying leader is broken and wounded. (stroke of luck #3).

The first American line is gone [X(], and another American HS is killed by interdiction during the Rout Segment.

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Turn 3

German player turn

No fire in Fire Segment. The StuGs take positions to fire on the MMG and on the two squads at the south end of the village, the Marder dashes forward and takes position where it should be able to fire on any advancing Sherman.
In the Defensive Fire Segment, American OBA and infantry fire have no effect.
In the Advancing Fire Segment, the StuH breaks the HS manning the MMG (stroke of luck #4) and fires the AAMG on a broken squad to keep it at "broken+" status

American player turn

A SS squad is broken by OBA in the Fire Segment.
German Defensive Fire does not cause further damage.

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Turn 4

German player turn

All the previously broken German units rally and resume their advance. There is only a single Good Order American squad remaining in 7,14.
The StuG and a large stack of infantry fire on the broken units at the south-east edge of the village.
The StuH buttons up and advances to fire to 7,14 while German Fsj squads come adjacent to enter CC: the US squad fails the Final Protective Fire morale check and breaks.
In the Defensive Fire Segment, OBA falls on a empty area.
Fsj Advancing Fire breaks Casualty Reduces the broken squad in 7,14 and kills a broken HS that was also there. Now, only a leader remains unbroken in 7,14.
The Fsj squads enter CC with the two leaders (I think these are the last American leaders remaining, and if I eliminate them the American can only attempt self-rallying one squad per turn).
The leader with the radio is killed in CC: this won't stop American OBA, however [:(]. The other leader keeps the Fsj engaged.

American player turn

Enter the Shermans!
Nothing happens in the Fire Segment (infantry units are all broken, and the Shermans do not see any target)
Nobody moves in the Movement Segment as all the VP hexes are still US-controlled (for a short time [:D]).
German Defensive Fire kills two broken units (a squad and a HS).

[UP844]

Turn 5

German player turn

No fire in the Fire Segment.
The StuG moves forward, taking a VP hex worth 2 VP as it advances; the StuH joins the Marder in its ambush position and changes its status to CE again (it will likely fire no more than 1 or 2 HEAT rounds); German infantry takes another VP hex worth 2 VPs and surrounds two broken units (which will be eliminated for Failure To Route).

American player turn

American OBA in the Fire Segment falls on a empty area. Shermans do not fire (even though they can see the StuG, there's lot of hindrance hexes between them).
In the Movement Segment, all the Shermans move to the area close to the northernmost VP hex (which is worth 4 VP: so far the game is a Draw, with 4 VP for each side). A lone HS that routed south-west comes back.
The StuG fires on the closest Sherman and misses. A Fsj squad guarding the southern approach to the village fires on the advancing HS with no effect.
The Shermans do not fire in the Advanced Fire Segment [&:]
(I would have fired, just to gain acquisition)

[UP844]

Turn 6

German player turn

The StuG - a wannabe Wittmann - fires on the Sherman in 7,6 and kills it, keeps it ROF, fires an APCR (better to be sure [:D]) to the Sherman in 6,5 destroying it, then loses its ROF (stroke of luck #5).
The StuH and the Marder III move through the orchards, but the lone surviving Sherman does not take the bait (it would have to change the Turret Covered Arc 2 times, significantly reducing its chance to hit).
German infantry moves to take the last VP hex: the Sherman only fires its CMG at them, with no effect. Other squads move towards the Sherman: if it becomes lucky and kills my AFVs, I will attempt to kill it in CC.
In the Defensive Fire Segment, OBA falls on an empty area and the Sherman fires its MA on the StuG, missing it.
In the Advancing Fire Segment, the StuH and the Marder fire at the Sherman without hitting it, but gaining acquisition (the StuH keeps its HEAT capability, too [:)]).

American player turn

OBA falls on an empty area.
The Sherman fires its MA at the StuG, missing it, then fires its CMG at the infantry occupying the VP hex (NOTE: losing acquisition on the StuG).
In the Defensive Fire Segment, the StuG finally kills the last Sherman; the StuH rotates in place to save some MP in the next Movement Segment (NOTE: I'm not sure if this is a strictly "legal" move)

The scenario should end here: the lone surviving American HS has no way to reach even the closest VP hex. However, since I have not ticked the "Scenario ends when one side has no more units" box, it will continue to turn 7.

[UP844]

Turn 7

German player turn

The StuH moves south to intercept the American HS.
The HS fires on the CE StuH and stops it, but is killed by a 105mm round in the Advancing Fire Segment (useless stroke of luck #6)

The Germans have been unusually lucky in this game: on the other hand, luck is a two-way affair, as proven by my first attempt, when the 57mm massacred my AFVs and infantry at the very first chance.

In my opinion, the scenario is reasonably balanced if played with the Germans: I would only add Covered Arc setting in the entry hexes, so that the Shermans do not show their rear to the Germans when they appear on the map.

I know I am beginning to sound like a broken record, but I think that allowing long range fire for IA infantry units could also make it a tougher opponent: German SS units can safely stand in the open 5 hexes away from US Airborne squads (range = 4) and fire at them with their full firepower, or move at will with no fear of being slaughtered.

[Peter Fisla]

I will take a look at the Infantry long range fire issue in UPDATE 3...

[UP844]

Thanks, Peter: I promise I will cease bothering you with this issue [;)].

From what I saw, I think the AI does not fire every time its final firepower is halved: e.g. it will not fire in the Advancing Fire Segment unless it is adjacent to its target (FP is halved and doubled at the same time). I am not sure about pinned units fire (which should also be halved): I will pay attention to this aspect in the next games I play.