AAR - Battle for the Warta Line (German)

[UP844]

Turn 3 - German Administrative Segment

A leader, a squad and a HS rally. No German units are OOC.

Turn 3 - Polish Fire Segment

The Polish squad in the wooden building fires at the MMG stack in the stone building with no effect.

[UP844]

Turn 3 - Polish Movement Segment

Nothing happens

Turn 3 - German Defensive Fire Segment

All eligible German units (2 squads + 2 MMG, 1 squad and 2 squads) fire on the Polish squad in the wooden building and break it.

The two 250/sMG and the 75mm fire at the southernmost ATR squad with no effect

[UP844]

Turn 3 - Polish Advancing Fire Segment

Nothing happens

Turn 3 - Polish Rout Segment

A routed unit (the ATR squad previously entrenched in the hill) appears near the southern wing of the German infantry. The just broken squad in the wooden building does not rout.

Turn 3 - German Rout Segment

Nothing happens

[UP844]

Turn 3 - Polish Advance

Nothing happens

Turn 3 - Close Combat

The HS in the stone building is eliminated

[UP844]

Turn 4 - German Administrative Segment

The last German broken units (a leader and a squad) rally. No German unit are OOC.

(continues...)

[UP844]

Turn 4 - German Fire Segment

The two 250/sMG and the 75 IG continue firing at the ATR squad and pin it.

Turn 4 - German Movement

Rather than losing a full turn to mount a full assault on the Polish squad in the 12,15 stone building, I will take some risk and attempt crossing the street in its LOS (Casualties do not provide VPs). The first squad attempting Assault Moving across the street takes fire from the previously known squad and from another unseen one, but their fire only manages to pin it. On the other hand, it discovers a Polish C leader with a LMG-armed squad, but they are too far away (9 hexes) and will never fire.

In the meantime, the a number of German squads crosses the street and surrounds the broken Polish squad in 13,21, which will be eliminated for Failure to Rout. The Polish LMG-armed squad entrenched in 16,25 did not fire in the "X" marked hex even though it would have had a decent chance to cause damage (2 FP @ -2 DRM, a 58.3% chance of an effective result).

The southernmost German squads also move east, coming adjacent to the other broken Polish squad.

[UP844]

Turn 4 - Polish Defensive Fire Segment

A Polish HMG with a B** leader far to the north (of which I never was aware of) breaks the pinned squad (I wonder why it didn't fire in the Movement Segment, with a more favourable DRM).

Turn 4 - German Advancing Fire Segment

All the German units on the north side fire at the Polish Squad in 12,15 with no effect at all. The two stacks in the south fire at the broken Polish squad in 11,23 and CR'd it.

[UP844]

Turn 4 - German Rout Segment

The broken German unit routs 1 hex west in a debris hex

Turn 4- Polish Rout Segment

The broken unit in 11,23 routs south-east and cannot be interdicted in the Level 1 hill hexes because it can claim Height Advantage.
The broken unit in 13,24 cannot rout and is eliminated.

[UP844]

Turn 4 - German Advance Segment

All German units - except the MMG stack advance east. The B** advances in the debris hex containing the broken unit to assist its rally.

[UP844]

Turn 4 - German Administrative Segment

The broken unit is rallied

No German units go OOC

Turn 4 - Polish Fire Segment

The LMG-armed squad in 12,15 fires at the German MMG stack in 11,19 with no effect.

The LMG-armed squad in 16,25 wakes up at last and fires (its LMG only) at the German stack in 11,23 with no effect.

[UP844]

Turn 4 - Polish Movement Segment

Nothing happens

Turn 4 - German Defensive Fire Segment

The Radio-equipped leader disproves my previous statements about player OBA and places its FFE 1 hex away from 16,25.
The three northern stacks all fire at the Polish squad in 12,15 and kill it.
The two southern stacks fire at the Polish squad in 16,25 with no effect.
The half-tracks and the 75mm finally manage to break the southernmost ATR.

[UP844]

Turn 4 - Polish Advancing Fire Segment

Nothing happens

Turn 4 - Polish Rout Segment

The ATR squad broken by half-tracks routs east and disappears

Turn 4 - German Rout Segment

Nothing happens

Turn 4 - Polish advance

Nothing happens

[UP844]

Turn 5 - German Administrative Segment

No German units OOC.

Turn 5 - German Fire Segment

OBA falls on 16,26 and hits the Polish squad in 16,25 but causes no damage

[UP844]

Turn 5 - German Movement Segment

All German units move east towards the east edge; five squads - not enough for a victory - exit the map.

One of the halftrack attempts to move forward again and, again, is stunned by a Polish squad

[UP844]

Turn 5 - Polish Defensive Fire, German Advancing Fire, German Rout and Polish Rout Segments:

Nothing happens

Turn 5 - German Advance

All the German squads advance towards the east map edge.

Turn 5 - Polish player turn

The only thing happening in the whole player turn is another impressive - and harmless - display of fireworks, courtesy of the German OBA

[UP844]

Turn 6 - German Administrative Segment

An halftrack goes OOC (but it does not count for Victory Purposes)

Turn 6 - German Fire Segment

Nothing happens

Turn 6 - German Movement Segment

All the remaining nine German squads exit the map, for a total of 14 out of 15, plus a HS and 5 leaders that do not count towards Victory achievement.

[UP844]

My plan worked as intended: I pierced a hole through the Polish line exerting overwhelming pressure and quickly broke through it.

I think deploying the Polish units on the forward slope of the hills makes them easy targets for the German halftracks and for the Infantry gun and also, if the German player is so inclined, to German infantry: a human will start firing at its full range (10 hexes) while the Polish AI units will not reply until the enemy comes (if it is fool enough) within their normal range. Even when playing the Polish side with a human player, I would prefer a reverse slope approach (with the exception of the HMG), to inflict the maximum damage to the Germans as they are forced to advance.

On the plus side, I did not see the usual run to the Exit VP.

My thanks to Hailstone for reviving this classic (if I remember correctly, it was the first scenario of Crescendo of Doom).

[Hailstone]

UP844, I enjoyed your AAR immensely. As you were graphically moving and attacking I did see where I could have
made changes in positioning. I can only go with my limited ASL skills as a guide and in so doing it took me 2 attempts
before I was able to get a minor win. So I added an extra turn from 8 to 9 but clearly against an accomplished ASL'er
it didn't pose the challenge I hoped for.

You mentioned the "usual run to the Exit VP" did not occur. I know what you mean and it's annoying as hell. I defeat
it by assigning units to the map as FREE PLACEMENT then DEFEND HEX, the hex the unit is on. The problem
is that the AI can't randomize the units so the scenario will always play the same. It has to be a bug. The defender
should not be retreating into the opposing unit exit hex.

Again, thanks man for using one of my ported scenarios for your AAR and I'll take your suggestions to heart. [:)]

[UP844]

Thank you Hailstone, for porting into ToTH many scenarios I played some years (decades, to be honest [;)]) ago.

"Breakthrough-type" scenarios still have some issues: the new AI orders allow avoiding the mad rush to the exit hexes, as you cleverly implemented in "The Battle for the Warta Line", but - in my opinion - this is not enough. The attacker has the advantage of focusing its whole strength at the Schwerpunkt, with the guarantee that AI units not directly involved will not attempt to seal its penetration.

The "textbook" approach for a defence should envisage a series of outposts to locate the enemy axis of attack and a reserve force, to be committed wherever a breakthrough takes place. Unfortunately, this is very difficult to portray in ToTH as AI units only move when they:

1) are directed to move to a specific hex in their orders (but this is useless, since knowing in advance where the reserve units will be needed is impossible before the attacker makes its move)

2) are attempting to retake a VP hex taken by the enemy. This approach might be effective to make the "reserve" units move towards the breakthrough area. Some fiddling with the value of the VP hexes is required: they should yield a minimum of VPs, so to force the attacker to exit the map to win. I tried applying it in an upgraded version of "Buchholz Station", to prevent the US forces from running to the Exit hexes, but I am still trying to understand what exactly triggers the AI move when VP hexes are occupied by the enemy.

Keep up the good work!

[UP844]

I made a quick game (with no need to take screenshots, it takes a lot less time) and this time I attacked south of the large wood. I took more losses (3 leaders, 3 squads, 1 HS and 1 half-track) and I managed to exit 10 squads at the end of turn #8, obtaining the same result as you did.

If there are a couple Polish squads to spare, they should be placed deep within the central wood: this will make a German central approach more difficult. I will also shorten the scenario duration to 8 turns, to keep the German player under pressure.