Read on for the AAR!
The mission is divided up into 4 quarters. The players start with half their forces in opposing quarters (just like breakthrough). Only 2 total objectives are placed, and they are in the quarters that aren't deployment zones, far in the corner. Thus, no one starts holding any objectives.
To give infantry a fair shake, this mission uses a new rule "Heavy Rains". The entire board is treated as difficult ground (save roads which are treated as difficult but do not require a bog check). On the start of turn 3 you roll a die to see if the ground dries out, and continue adding a die on each player's turn (per night fight). The battle lasts a minimum of 6 turns.
STEVEN'S STUG BATTERY
HQ
4x Stug G
4x Stug G
4x Panzer IV H
Panzerwerfer battery
2x Flakpanzer 38(t)
3x Puma
TOM'S ARMORED RIFLES (2nd AD)
HQ
Full AR Platoon
Full AR Platoon
Full AR Platoon
Mortars (2 tubes)
4x Shermans
5x Stuarts
The board. The objectives are visible in the top left and bottom right. The die marks the center.
Tom's dogfaces get ready to move out. He begins the game with 2 ARs and the mortars on board.
Uncle Tom's quarter.
Stugs and Pumas line up on the bottom right of Steven's quarter.
In the other part of my quarter, Stugs line up ready to race for the objective.
Armored Rifles move into the trees. The Stugs decide to stay put rather than risk bogging. The pumas do risk it and manage to get on the road.
Scouting the way.
The first of Steven's reserves arrive.
Tom's ARs race for the trees
The scenario presented by iPad.
Tom's first reserves arrive. Stuarts do a pretty good job of keeping from getting bogged.
Tom's ARs are in a good position to go plop down on the objective from within the trees.
Steven's Stugs nab the northern objective and get ready to defend it.
More reserves arrive for Tom. 2nd AR back up the first. 2 AR platoons up against 4 stugs!
The last of Tom's reserves arrive. Shermans and Stuarts stay cautiously out of site until the ground dries up. Tom's crotch does not stay out of sight.
Steven's reserves arrive. Panzer IVs and Stugs readjust, and 2 tanks bog in the muck.
The Stugs prepare for the coming storm.
US Tankers get stuck in the mud.
Armored Rifles grab the other objective.
The heavy rains make the battle slow to develop.
Achtung!! Amerikeners!
The medium tanks surge forward, MGs blazing!
The ARs are punished.
The ARs take light casualties, but keep moving.
The gun line continues to open up on the ARs who have now dug in.
ARs continue to take a beating, but push forward.
Pumas sneak into the trees. The American tanks gear up to strike.
Stugs, flakpanzers, and panzerwerfers all move towards the objective. The Germans throw everything but the kitchen sink at it.
The flakpanzers integrate with the Stugs to bolster defensive fire.
The American tanks move forward but still do not strike.
The Shermans and Stuarts rush forward in a gun line to shoot at the Panzer IVs.
Tom feeds one team forward to contest the objective.
and then decides to charge forward bazookas blazing!
Casualties from the US tanks are light- one Panzer IV burns.
Bazooka fire knocks out one flakpanzer, and bails the other. The remaining flakpanzers races off the battlefield! The first platoon lost is German.
The Germans retaliate with a withering barrage from the panzerwerfers, and MG fire from the stugs.
one of the panzerwerfers fires at near point blank.
The final tank battle is gearing up. Stuarts race to the German flanks, and the 2 Shermans that survived return fire are left leaderless and so pump rounds into the German mediums. The Armored Rifles charge out of the woods with bazookas at the ready. One stug is knocked out.
The Americans unpin and race forward. Bazooka fire knocks out 1 stug!
The Germans return fire. 3 Stuarts are destroyed, 2 are bailed. Both Shermans are bailed, and some light damage is done to the Armored Rifles.
The Americans do not pass their motivation check to assault, and the return fire is light but enough to force morale checks.
The Pumas push their way out of the trees and knock out the commander of the mortars.
Tom has to make 4 motivation checks: Stuarts, Shermans, the Armored Rifles near the bottom objective, and the armored rifles who tried to take on the 4 stugs. He fails all 5 motivation checks (4 plus a re-roll for the Stuarts with the company commander).
This leaves him with 2 mortar halftracks, and a ragtag group of Armored Rifles with no platoon leader. Having no company commander, the game is called.
5-2 for the Germans.
