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.

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

German perimeter after Russians recapture ground on Sept 15th.



Well, we finished the German attack of Sept 15th. Unfortunately, I brilliantly left my camera at Joe's place, so there is no photographic evidence...probably for the best.

The best that happened during our last session was Joe's end of game roll on turn five was a '1'. That was awesome. As picked up the die to make the roll, I began to chant "End it Joe! End it Joe! End it Joe!". When the '1' came up I did what could best be described as a "touchdown dance" around Joe's living room.

The Russians beat the daylights out of the Germans for four turns. All of the savagery is chronicled in other posts on this blog.

The Germans pulled a second red card on our 150mm OBA, scoring that module a big disappointment. But we did have a few moral victories in the last turn and a half.

For one, all members of a 247 half squad earned an Iron Cross at the northern end for single handedly holding up that flank against a strong Russian advance. They advanced into CC with a Russian 527 squad which had reached as far West as hex H2 (!). They then won ambush and cut the Ruskies down in HtH CC.

Then, the Russians boldly moved two MMG toting squads and a leader up into the ADJACENT building. The 247 got a 1MC effect with their 2+1 SFF shot, getting all the Russians to break amd rout away, leaving their MMG's behind.

Secondly, down towards the center of the map, a 467 and 9-1 German leader were in HTH melee with a Russian halfie. During Russian 5, they broke the German leader by firing a 76L ART piece into the melee. Then, they advanced in another two and a half squads and a leader , while surrounding the melee hex to make sure the leader couldn't withdraw. There was no way to survive that mess, but when I rolled a three for change (that's right! my turn to roll a three! It's Rockford's turn now ! ), I took an entire Russian platoon and their leader down with me! That. Felt. Good.

What didn't feel so good was surveying the carnage afterward. The Russians recaptured a lot of ground. But more importantly, they are leading the Germans by 33 squads: 55 to 22. Think about that. Three scenarios and the Germans have lost in the neighborhood of 100 squads! The Russians while obviously better off, have still lost a huge number as well.

There was no Russian counter attack on the 15th, and the 16th turned into an idle day. I might have attacked if I had the Russian just to press the advantage, but then again they are likely trying to run out the clock now.

One good thing about the Russians winning the first three scenarios is that the Campaign Balance kicks in giving the German a better modifier for some of the refit rolls.

There will be another German attack on Sept 17th. Looking for a bold stroke to regain the initiative.

Hey Baby!

Guess what day it is?

Music Video:4TH OF JULY (by X)

...something completely different.....

On a bit of an ASL hiatus as I am dealing with a move. In between AARs, please enjoy this awesome Steven Cragg video. He is NOT Mark Twain.

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!)

More Soon

Will be heading up I-95 to Joe's central New Jersey house again tomorrow to continue the Sept 15th CG date. Getting very interesting.........

AAR VotG CGII Drive to the Volga Sept 15th day Part One

Joe and I plowed through a turn and a half of our VotG campaign on Saturday. While it's still far too early to make judgements, my Germans have generated some momentum (Germentum?)

The most personally satisfying moment of the campaign so far came in my first movement phase. After I had pulled two set DC attacks on Joe during the previous Russian night assault, I expected him to return the favor. My suspicions were only raised more when I saw that his setup left several front line hexes abandoned in the block south of the Nail Factory.

So...risking search casualties, a brave 2nd line half squad moved forward and revealed a set DC in M42. No search casualties resulted. Woo-hoo!

Next, a concealed unit advanced into the DC hex, and Joe announce that he would detonate. His boys passed the NTC and rubbled the building right down on top of my........wait for it........dummies! I think I then did something that could best be described as a "touchdown dance"

After a lot of slugging it out in that block, the Russians are finally on their heels and falling back to the east.

Pushing east as reinforcements cross Communisticheskya St.

At one point in turn two, I assault moved two concealed 548 squads into a building location in that block which had 12RFP sitting in it. Did you know that residual is NOT halved against concealed units? I didn't. I'm not sure how it's possible that I didn't know that, yet the fact remains.

So, here I was violating some the most fundamental rules of good ASL play (stacking, taking big resid), and the 12+3 attack resulted in no effect!

"Fortune favors the bold"

- Virgil, The Aeneid

Further south my reinforced strength Rifle Coy entered the battle and started pushing up the south edge. I decided that with pretty good local superiority of numbers, I would just push hard at him, and let him try to shoot everyone. When we left it, the strategy looked to be working. (The "German Wave", I call it)

German Wave

Across form the Univermag, the Russians went to work on an 8-1 and HMG squad. The Germans burned a KV-1 that was trying to sleaze-freeze them, but later broke under withering fire. Then things got worse. The German leader went berserk, took the now reduced half-squad with him, and charged off into oblivion.........

This. Is. Not. Going. To. Go. Well.

Up north....things are getting really interesting.....

A StuG G bogs in a bad spot, but has a chance thanks to his infantry support.

To make up for the failed set DC trap in the south, Joe took out two elite squads I had started out in the Voentorg building with a successful one. (Voentorg?? Is this Russian or Klingon?? ) I wasn't wary for it there, as he had a half squad in the cellar of that hex. Nice shot.

In my purchases for this scenario, I discarded the "rotating stukas" RG which had been only marginally effective on day one, in favor of some heavy artillery. I was tired of playing around with the fortified fanatics in Pavlovs house and the surrounding area, and wanted to grab the right tool for the job.

I got it down on the square, burning a KV-1 that was getting a bit aggressive. (PIC)

While Russians were having some success with a small counter-attack up the extreme northern edge, the Germans may be close to a real breakthrough near the Voentorg.

By pushing some squads up through the rubble and debris south of the building, I was able to get into CC with the Russians and take some ground that has almost no Russian troops between them and the Volga. Now, if we get that 150mm arty down on the Voentorg, we could do some serious damage. Come on black cards.....keep coming.......

Still lots of fun ahead. Hope to be back to it soon.