South of Liege - Human German vs AI Canadian

[UP844]

A - Pre-game ranting

I will take the attacking side first, just to make things easier for the AI.

The scenario description is quite vague about the opposing force: they are Canadians (bad news, these usually are Elite squads) but no more detail is provided.

Looking at the Victory Conditions, I must make at least 40 VP to get a Minor Victory (50 for a Major), and I have three ways to get VPs:
1) by killing enemy units: I see there are entries for crews and AFVs, so I suppose both Ordnance (AT Guns and/or Mortars) and AFVs are present.
2) by taking VP hexes: there are three of them, equally spaced along the west side of the map and worth 10 VP each.
3) by exiting German units through the two exit areas (one north and one south)

Taking all the 3 VP hexes will require short-range fighting through the woods to take the northernmost one. I am not exactly thrilled at the idea: I would be getting much fire with the AI firing first, having only woods as cover. Besides that, this is 1944 and the Canadian infantry could be very dangerous for my tanks.
I'm going for a straight breakthrough, aiming at exiting as many units as possible from the southern exit area: here, terrain is much less dense and I will be able to take advantage of the longer range of my infantry and MGs. This will imply taking the southern VP hex and, if feasible, the center one. Exiting from the northern exit area is out of question: I would have to fight my way through woods and hills.

(Continues with B - German Set-up and planning)

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B - German Set-up and Planning

The German OOB consists of:
2 x A*** leaders
1 x B* leader
9 x 1st line squads (4 w/LMG)
3 x 1st line squads (2 w/HMG)
3 x Pz III J (do they come out of a training unit? [&:])
2 x 8cm MTR w/crews

My greatest concern are AT guns and AFVs: Pz IIIJ's were great in 1942, but any AT gun or tank will easily kill them. I must avoid to put them in a harm's way at all costs. My infantry, then, will have to recon the way for these fragile machines.

I deployed the Infantry in four stacks:
#1 (recon & flank security): B* leader, 3 x 1st line squads, 2 LMGs [FP: 18/6 hx, 12/8 hx, 9/12 hx, 3/16 hx]
#2:(recon & flank security): 2 x 1st line squads, 1 x 1st line HS, 2 LMGs [FP: 16/4 hx, 15/6hx, 11/8hx, 7/12hx, 3/16hx]
#3 and #4 (firebase): A*** leader, 2 x 1st line squads, 1 x 1st line HS, 1 HMGs [15/6hx, 11/12hx, 7/16hx, 3/32hx]

The leaderless #2 stack is set up so that it is 2 hexes away and in LOS of 2 leaders, to minimise its chance to become Out-Of-Command.

The aim of the Germans is to pierce through the Canadian defenses and exit as many units as possible, so:
- The #1 and #2 stacks will scout ahead, especially for AT guns and tanks
- The #3 and #4 stacks will deal with anything except tanks
- The Panzers will provide support against infantry, without exposing themselves to AT fire
- The mortars will follow as fast (pun intended [:D]) as possible and also provide fire support against infantry or AT guns.

Continues with German Turn 1

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German turn #1.

Since no Canadian units are in sight, nothing happens during the German Fire Segment.

A German HS dashes forward using double time movement, attempting to locate enemy units and is successful: in the southern VP hex there are a C leader, 3x1st line squads and a LMG. I could advance further up to range 6 and fire at full effect while the British squads will not fire on my squads, but why risk unnecessary losses? The LMG maximum normal range is 7, so I stay at range 8.

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German turn #1

The remaining infantry deploys at range 8 from the British stack: so far no other British unit has appeared, so the Pz IIIs join the infantry after going CE (this will improve fire accuracy and they do not risk being fired by the British units). The mortar crews struggle to move forward.

As expected, the British stack does not fire in the Movement or Defensive Fire.

The German units are nicely deployed to fire on the Canadian stack (in their next Defensive Fire segment). Advancing Fire, as expected, produces negligible results (the Canadian leader is Pinned); the Pz IIIs, however, get the acquisition bonus for their next fire segment.

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Canadian Turn #1

Nothing happens - no Canadian fire or move, not even OBA [:D] - until the German Defensive fire segment: at the end of it, the only surviving British units are a HS and the leader, both of them broken.

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German Turn #2

The Canadian units failed to rally, so there is no reason to fire on them.

The German scout HS moves forward: even if some units are hidden on the right flank of the German thrust, the grain field and the orchard should provide enough hindrance to make their fire ineffective.

Nobody fires on the scouting HS, which discovers a Sherman III and another Canadian stack (a leader, 1 x 1st line squad and 2 x 2nd line squad, plus a LMG) is sitting on the center objective.

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German Turn #2

The remaining German units move west, taking care to remain hidden from the Sherman, but deploying so as to deliver as much fire as possible on the Canadian stack in their next Fire segments. Two Pz IIIJ move adjacent to the broken Canadian units, to keep them at "Broken+" status.

In the Defensive Fire segment, the Canadian AI only fires OBA (it does not appear to be very heavy)... on the area where the PzIIIJ and the HMG stacks were located in the last turn [;)]. A 8cm mortar is attacked with no effect.

In the Advancing Fire segment, 2 PzIIIJ and all the infantry fire on the Canadian stack, breaking the two 2nd line squads and pinning the 1st line squad.

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German Turn #2

The broken remains of the southernmost Canadian stack rout away from the Pz IIIs. I will have to detach a squad to take care of them.

In the Advance Segment, the German units move out of sight of the Sherman (its fire could be hindered, but Critical Hits are known to occur, and I have no desire to be on the receiving end of one of them [:D]).

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Canadian Turn #2

In the Canadian Fire Segment, OBA breaks a mortar crew. Then, the Sherman fires all its weapons on the B* leader stack [X(]. I was so certain there was no LOS through the stone building I never checked it [8|]. I was lucky, and the results of the fire is no effect, but luck is a poor substitute for sound tactics.Lesson learned: always check if any opposing units can fire on yours..
The Good Order Canadian units in the center VP hex do not fire.

Nothing happens in the Movement Segment: no marching or engine sounds are heard.

In the German Defensive Fire Segment, the massive German fire (2 PzIIIs, the 2 stacks with HMGs and A*** leaders and the leaderless infantry stack) break all the infantry squads in the target hex and kill the leader.

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German Turn #3

No units are in sight - except the Sherman, which I cannot harm (so far [:D]), so the German Fire Segment is skipped.

In the Movement Segment, since there are no more opposing units, the German "recon" stacks move towards the center VP hex, using the stone buildings to hide from the Sherman. A squad moves through the southernmost VP hex and negates any rout path to the broken units nearby.
The mortars crawl west, hoping to escape the OBA, while the HMGs and the Panzer IIIs stand ready to repel any possible Canadian counterattack.

In the Canadian Defensive fire, the Sherman 75mm fires SMOKE (why?? [&:]) at a mortar; the tank MGs also fire but no harm is done.

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German Turn #3

The broken Canadian units in the south fail to rout and are eliminated.

The valiant HS advances and gain control of the center VP hex. If it survives the next round of fire from the Sherman, it will race back as fast as possible.

Now my score is 20 VPs, but I think the Canadian will try to get back their VP hexes. I'm ready for them: the Sherman cannot see me and any counterattacking infantry will take heavy fire: the two A*** leaders will fire 15 FP with a nice -1 Fire DRM on any Canadian moving into the center VP Hex, while the two adjacent stacks will fire 36 or 28 FP at 1 hex range (with a +1 or +2 Fire DRM respectively).

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Canadian Turn #3

In the Fire Segment, OBA fires on an empty stretch of land (I love it when it does so!). The Sherman crew must have read "Firing on Mortars for Dummies" and now fires a HE round as well as the MGs, but with no effect.

Despite my fears of a massive Canadian counterattack, no sound is heard during the Canadian Movement Segment ("What's up, Sarge?" "It's quiet... too quiet").

In the German Defensive Fire Segment, the 8cm mortar (the only German unit with a LOS to the Sherman) first tries to smoke the tank and fails. It keeps ROF, however, and fires two extra HE rounds, hoping for a Critical (I know my chances to kill a Sherman are negligible but the mortar cannot do anything else anyway).

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German Turn #4

In the German Fire Segment, the 8cm mortar (which cannot move, anyway) continues firing on the Sherman: it first attempts - and fails [:(] - to place SMOKE to provide some cover to the infantry that will try to attack the Sherman. It keeps ROF, switches to HE and fires another round withouth causing damage.

In the German Movement Segment the HS first Assault moves into a stone building adjacent to the Sherman. Despite having to rotate its turret, the tank managese to break the HS and leaves a residual fire in the hex.
The B* leader and other infantry squads also move adjacent to the Sherman, which does not fire again. The residual fire has no effect and at the end of the Movement Segment there are three squads ready to enter CC.

In the Canadian Defensive Fire Segment, OBA falls on an empty area of the map again [:D].

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German Turn #4

Three squads and the B* leader enter CC with the Sherman and immobilise it.

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Canadian Turn #4

Nothing happens. The German squads and the Sherman remain locked in Melee.

German Turn #5

The Sherman is finally destroyed in CC. A quick appraisal of the Victory Conditions (see image) shows I got 43 VP: I must get another 7 VP to achieve a Major Victory, and I can get 10 by exiting a PzIII. The Canadians don't look especially aggressive, but they still have 4 turns to mount a counterattack. Even if they do, however, I doubt they can retake both VPs: if they take the central one, I can just exit another PzIII to balance the 10 VP loss.

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Canadian Turn #5

Nothing happens.

German Turn #6

German units redeploy to better deal with a possible Canadian counterattack coming from the north.
A German PzIII exits the map from the southern exit hexes, raising the German VP score to 53 (Major Victory)

Canadian Turn #6

Nothing happens.

German Turn #7

German mortars redeploy to support the infantry/MG stacks.

Canadian Turn #7

Nothing happens. The game does not end this turn

Turn #8

Nothing happens. The game does not end this turn

Turn #9

Nothing happens. The game ends this turn with a German Major Victory and no German losses.

The two AI infantry stacks fired only once (the southernmost stack never fired, the center one fired once with the LMG, but its infantry also never fired).

[Gmay]

Thank you for your AAR.And surely some points to help someone to get better at making scenarios!!!