It's all over! It's all over!!

Well, I guess I've put this off long enough.

In the German half of turn four, Joe's HMG kill stack (under 10-3 Col Yelin) which had just moved into position, opened up my radio dudes, and broke them both. The OBA was the most important thing I still had going. Their loss was critical.

A sober assessment pretty much required calling a halt to the campaign at that point. Outnumbered about 2-1 in squads on map, and unable to purchase another rifle company for two more CG days, there was just no way to see a German victory.

The "wedge" being driven along the southern edge was still working along, but losses meant that even if a breakthrough was found there would be no effective way to exploit it. Joe had also been able to stabilize his line in the north, bringing that German counter attack in that area to a stalemate.

Lessons learned? WAY too aggressive. If I had it to do over again, I would be more aggressive on day one, and much less aggressive on subsequent days. I

I had read a post by Tom Morin over at the Gamesquad forums stating that a German Breakthrough was expected on the first day. When I didn't achieve one, I thought I was hopelessly behind, and overreacted. (Of course, I somehow missed this more cautious post by Tom. )

And...I probably was behind! But not to the point of desperately needing to catchup. Joe's pal Gary "The Cat" Mei stopped by as we were wrapping up, and pointed out that this is the huge difference between scenario play and campaign play: In a scenario, it's usually important to keep moving as the attacker; in a campaign, it's usually more important to preserve your force.

It's also tempting to get too aggressive with your StuGs, as I demonstrated repeatedly. They really have to stand off and fire, and not be subjected to CC (especially street fighting!).

The Stukas are great against the Russian armor, but in a scenario faced with little or no expected Russian armor, I would rather spend the 6 points on something else. One of the few things I did right.

So, Joe and I are in negotiations over what campaign to play next. We might end up with one of the KGP's, or possibly Onslaught to Orsha. (likely to get started after ASLOK)

In the meantime, ASL goes on. I plan to keep posting AAR's and other ASL related items. I also hope to bring in a few guest ASL-bloggers and maybe turn them into regulars - stay tuned!!

The victorious Joe (right) with his rules attorney Gary:

VotG CGII Drive to the Volga AAR Sept 17th part II

We plowed on through the end of turn 3 this weekend. Things are reaching critical mass.

The most interesting and savage fighting continues to be in the south, where the smoke has now cleared. The Russians have started to form a new line in the U46 building. The Germans have moved forward and are driving a wedge along the southern edge of the map, but at a very high cost.

The Germans have a few kill stacks, StuGs hammering away, but it has been a slow grind as the Russians give ground grudgingly. The Germans have already lost nearly 60 CVP of infantry in three turns.

During a H-T-H melee in the theatre, the Russians slipped a few squads in behind the Germans after a German boxcar infiltration roll. They don't pose a very large threat, but they will have to be dealt with, damaging the already desperate German schedule.

The Germans lost radio contact on the module in the above photo, or else the spotting round would be a FFE. It is critical to get contact and convert it in the next turn.

The 467 at the left of the photo is in a hex with a burning StuG killed by a MOL-P. I think that is the first result the Russians have had with one in the campaign.

A few blocks up the Russians are retaking ground in and around the Nail Factory. Although you can't see them in the photo, there are good order German squads in each ground level location of the K40 building. They have to stand up!!!

The Russians have collapsed "the knob" where the Germans had a major MG position. More captured MG's. I've lost count of how many German MG's have been captured.

Further north, the Germans are pulling back across Communisticheskya St, as the Russians have them locally over matched.

In the extreme north, the German reinforcements are taking back some ground. We got a StuG in behind the Russian infantry in an attempt to encircle and block rout paths. Unsupported however, the Russians were able to isolate and kill it in CC. (Joe never fails a PAATC. Never!!)

Things are getting to a point where the Germans have to make a breakthrough and drink from the Volga very soon, or give it up. If we can drive the wedge through in south, we have hope to continue. If the Russians hold, we may have to give it up, as the losses have been staggering.

Hoping to get back at it this weekend.

VotG AAR CGII Drive to the Volga Sept 17th Part I

After a fairly large setup, we squeezed in the first turn of the 9/17 CG Day this weekend.

My infantry having been decimated on 9/15, I went idle on 9/16, and fortunately so did Joe. Desperately in need of manpower I purchased three "code blue" rifle coys in reserve, plus a Stosstruppe pltn.

For 9/17 I purchased my last "code green" rifle coy to enter in the north. I purchased a heavy weapons platoon to replace a few of the dozens of German MG's captured or destroyed so far. I purchased a pltn of StuG B's, which along with two other StuGs and a FlaK halftrack platoon returning from redeployment would actually give me some decent AFV capability for the first time since the opening day.

With my six "support cpp" I eschewed the rotating stukas in favor of two Bltn Mtr modules with pre-reg'd hexes. My plan was to bury the southern edge in smoke and rush forward, trying to achieve a breakthrough.

Joe (Russian side) had cleverly anticipated that I would be attacking on 9/17, and drew an attack chit himself to make it a duel attack. The dice gave me the first setup, which forced me to give away my planned "big push" up the southern edge. A little free intel for the Russians, nice move.

Jump Street



The dice also gave the Russians first move. With the first WC DR Joe rolled up civilian interrogation revealing my HIP stack on the second level of K45. (Two 8-0's with radios). Already things .....well you get the idea.

In the Russian half of the turn there was sporadic prep fire and some cautious forward movement. The Russians broke a squad in the center and got him to die for FTR. They also got a few melees going, but nothing too dramatic.

Sporadic light skirmishing through the center

In the German half of the turn, we maintained contact on both modules and let fly the smoke. We also got four smoke rounds from a Mtr on the south edge. There is a lot of smoke. When it drifted northwest in the advance fire phase the counter density became -- spectacular.

Stalingrad in the artificial fog

When my concealed 2 x HMG + 9-2 stack assault moved out of the Nail Factory into N39, Joe revealed a set DC. Although he did not rubble the building, it did break all three units. I was just thinking that I had cheated death and was starting to breath again. when Joe opened up with a stack of three 4-5-8 manned HMG's and a 10-3(!) leader from across the street. 3 KIA.

A broken HMG is all that remains

I brought my reinforcement rifle coy on in the north to find very few Russians in the area. I had planned to mostly just play defense in the north as all my major resources were diverted to the southern assault. Ironically, the real opportunity for this day may lie in the north, where the Russians are looking suddenly a bit overextended.

Northern Exposure?

Hope to be back at it within a few weeks.

AAR VotG CG II Drive to the Volga Sept 15th Part II

Joe and I got through the end of turn three on Saturday as the wonders of central air protected us from the sweltering New Jersey heat.

It was bad.

Everything is coming up Russian. Joe ONLY rolls threes. I ONLY roll nines. Turn three saw the loss of a StuG IIIB ,at least 9 German squads, an 8-1, and a 9-2 leader. It was truly one of the most incredible two way dice runs I've ever seen.

It all started in the CC phase of turn three. There was a H-T-H melee near the center of the map where two German 467 squads were grappling with two Russian 527s. I reinforced the melee with another 467 and an 8-1 leader to improve my odds.

Joe rolled a three. I rolled a nine. It's what we do.

Not far away, two German squads were broken by piddling small arms fire, then eliminated for FTR as the Russians moved in to cut off their retreat. Anger.

(Above) Here is the center of the map being held down by a lonely German crew after after massive casualties were inflicted in turn three.

(Above) Hex S25 was the scene of the melee that wiped out an entire German platoon and their 8-1 Lt. After we win the war, we'll have to build some kind of memorial here. It'll be very tasteful.

A little farther south, a major German MG position is in danger of being encircled, while a Russian AE squad waits for his chance to street fight a Stug.

Meanwhile, the big trouble is again on the northern flank. The heavy artillery I tried to bring down on the Voentorg was slightly off target, and caught a couple of my squads, breaking one of them. Of course, it also caught some Russian squads, but when I rolled 9s on the IFT DRs, I got mostly simple MC results. Since Joe rolls threes, he passed them all easily. (bitter? me ? Nah.)

The Russians launched another push up the extreme Northern edge with good success. There are a lot more German casualties waiting to happen unless i can make something happn quickly up there.

(Above) The Russians apply pressure with a strong local counter attack. The trench holds a broken German 75* INF gun. (When I said I roll nothing but nines, that wasn't really true. Sometime, I roll twelves!)

I bought an INF gun battery during the refit phase because I wanted some ordnance to fire on the fortifed buildings on the east end of the square, especially the 150mm. Unfortunately I rolled up a depleted battery. Instead of a 150mm and three 75s, I get two only 75s and NO 150. That's hard to swallow. Grrr!

(Above) The German push to flank the Voentorg is cut off and beaten back as the Russians cross back over Smolenskaya St.

Only in the deep south are the Germans holding their own, as they push the Russian line back. In the photo below, a German 7-0 stands atop a burning StuG flamed by a critical hit advancing fire shot form the KV-1, standing like a colossus. ( When I said that Joe only rolls threes, that wasn't really true. Sometimes he rolls twos!)

AAR VotG CGII Drive to the Volga Sept 14th Night Part II

We finished up the Russian night counter attack of Sept 14th this weekend. There were a few more surprises for Russians, a total German collapse in the North, followed by an unexpected reprieve.


The first surprise was unveiling the HIP flamethrower squad the Germans had lurking in the cellar of M41. They assault move up to the ground level in German turn 2, maintaining concealment, then advanced into M42. They regained control of both hexes, and were ready to hose down the Russian MMG's firing from the upper level of M43. (Note: M43 does not actually have an upper level. Joe made an error and I did not catch it.)

Before they were able to, the MMG stack got a K/2 result, followed by a failed morale check. Then with ROF, they finished him off. The Russians moved a squad into the hex, and picked up the FT. That should have worked. It's so bitter.....

Situation in the block south of the Nail Factory, end of turn three.

Meanwhile......up by the 9th January Square..........

My other surprise for Joe was the two assault eng. squads I had HIP in the cellar of the Q10 building. In German turn three, one squad advanced concealed up to the ground level location of R9 which was full of CX Russians. It was the first time in the scenario that the Germans had an ambush advantage.

So, of course the Russian won the ambush. Went H-T-H and dispatched the invader.

The other squad moved from the cellar of Q10 to Q11 during movement phase, and fired upstairs in AFPh, breaking the two conscript squads in that location. They then advanced upstairs to gain control of the hex.

Even further north........the rout was on.

The Russians had two guards companies coming on the north edge where I was thinnest. Inside of three turns my left flank was wide open, when something very surprising happened: Joe asked me if I wanted to agree to end the scenario early. (!)

I think I said something like: "Yes".

My northern flank had been blown wide open and the door to Berlin laid out before the advancing Russian hordes....and they want to call it a day? Where do I sign?

Joe said that he felt he had reached a point of diminishing returns in that area (there weren't many Germans left to kill). He had already wrapped up the scenario victory being +14 on stone hexes. He thought in the south the momentum had swung my way.

Well.....that's all true, but the opportunity to shove two companies into the German backfield would not have been something I'd turn down.

Russians win the first two scenarios. German losses for the night:

467 x 12 548 x 1-1/2 838 x 2

8-1 x 1 7-0 x 1 8-0 x 2

Looking forward to sunrise, and getting back on the attack.

AAR VotG CGII Drive to the Volga Sept 14th Part III

Perimeter, end of Sept 14th day.




The last three turns of the first CG date saw the Germans make a desperate dash for locations, mopping up of disrupted Russian militia, and more stack-slamming close quarter fighting.

In the north, we pushed hard to the north of Pavlov's crib in an effort to roll up the map edge. The push was stuffed at Penzenskaya St by fire from the ART piece in Pavlov's house. One squad was vaporized while approaching the road, another was broken and beaten back. Those behind them thought better of the effort.

We got a break in the final turn when that gun malf'd. It was later removed in the refit phase.We're really gonna miss that thing. Not.

North side.

Stuffed.

Another Russian ART gun popped up on the top floor of the BB 25 building with some long lines of sight. It put a scare into a StuG, but nothing more.

In the center, more light skirmishing. We were able to cut off 3 or 4 disrupted conscript squads and kill them for Failure to Rout. We didn't get all the locations I wanted, but still made pretty good headway against light opposition.

The heaviest fighting continued in the south. The Russian reinforcements which arrived on turn 5 stabilized their line. The StuG that had been caught too far east by the Russian arrivals went down to a KV1 as a little armor battle developed. A StuG G took out a KV-1 on a shoot 'n' scoot APCR shot, and another went down to a Stuka attack via the shock/UK route



The south side of Stalingrad is the baddest part of town.

KV's and StuGs play hide and seek.

More Russian troops pulled back to the strong point at the Univermag. The Germans were able to take control of most of the buildings in the block west and northwest of the Univermag which was not being defended.

Both of the AA halftracks were recalled by sniper fire. The Russian sniper was otherwise thankfully pretty quiet.

German reinforcements in the south finally arrive on turn 8. Too late to pitch in on the fight,but they did recapture a few of the buildings on the SW corner and square off the lines.

The Germans lost 86 CVP, the Russians 101. For the Germans, losses included 7(!) StuGs, about 18 squads, and only a few leaders (including an armor leader). The Russians lost 3 T-34s,2 KV-1s, an ART gun, an 82mm MTR, and about 60 points worth of infantry. They also had two T-34's recalled due to disabled MA's. The Russians win the first scenario.

The Russian night attack is coming. The Russians single biggest handicap, their lack of effective range, will be somewhat mitigated at night. Throw in the fact that the Germans are lax by SSR, and the fighting is all but guaranteed to be at close range.

Hope we get back to it soon.