Cogust Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 Ok, here's the German AAR from the game between Cogust (German) and Romulus (American). I started out with an infantry platoon reinforced by a Panzerschrek team and a LMG. From the briefing and my setup i drew the conclusion that the scenario was either a meeting engagement with forces entering the map on opposite corners or a German attack where i would meet a slightly weaker (hopefully) American force. The VLs were scattered on the map with two obvious focal points, the Farm with its XX Vps and the Cafe with 30 VPs. If it was an attack/defend I was pretty sure that the opponent would place most units in and around the farm and I guessed that it was likely that it would be similar in a ME as there were most points there. The plan would be to attack eastwards to capture the cafe and then turn north to sweep the eastern half of the map. This move would hopefully surround the farm complex that I then could assault from any direction, I figured that it would be very hard to put up a strong all-round defence of the Farm. Minute 35-30: I split my squads into 1 scout team, two assault teams and three support teams. One assault team and the Schrek moved left to observe the Farm complex and provide flank security. The LMG covered the East-West road wheer my scout team moved up towards the Cafe, the second asault team advanced cautiosly over the southern field covered by the three support teams and the HQ. I secured the area around the cafe and realized that it was a touch VL, something that I hadn't anticipated but it made a lot of sense. During minute 31 I moved up the support teams to the cafe with one team covering the entrance to the farm, where it observed an American squad making its way into the farm complex. The leading scout and assault team saw the first glimpse of the enemy in the East field where an American scout team advanced towards the VL while taking fire from my troops. I moved up the the two support teams that were not observing the farm to the East field and ran the LMG to the cafe to control the road. I was taking light fire from the opposite end of the field and I had most of my force along the south edge of the field so I started to advance my scout team to force the issue. Kills: 0-0 Minute 30-25: The fire fight picked up as my scouts were moving through a hole in the bocage, one scout was hit right away and the second took cover. My return fire killed an American scout in the field and one LMG crew behind the opposing bocage. It looked like there were only one LMG covering the field and it moved to the NW corner of the field where I had trouble engaging it. The solution was to rush the lone scout across the field and send an assault team down the road to get into grenade distance of the LMG. The former action went well, but the latter was a disaster as the assault team came into grenade distance of an entire Amreican squad hiding in the road bend. I took three casualties in 10 second and the remaining two men could only respond with one badly thrown grenade before they broke. The ensuing firefight in the bend was short with one guy on each side dropping before my last Landser had had enough and ran away. But he suddenly stopped before he broke LOS and gave the Americans a parting gift in the form of a grenade that killed another two GIs. Meanwhile my scout had managed to cross the East field and touch the North Orchard VL, he was then assigned the mission of sneaking up behind the enemy LMG and eliminate it. He crept to within 25 meters and started plinking away with his Mauser until he suddenly say a GI slowly moving in his rear, it was the other half of the American scout team and the Landser turned around and killed the enemy scout with his first shot. Around the farm all was quiet,but I had observed the platoon HQ entering the complex and an enemy scout team was slowly crawling towards the South orchard objective. Kills: 6-5 in my favour Minute 25-20: With the enemy LMG cowering I now decided to advance into the East field qith the HQ proviing suppression on the LMG. One support team ran across the field so that it couldflank the LMG while the other support team advanced to a position overlooking the bend in the road. The Americans had pulled back from the bend so I didn't catch them. The LMG was swifty taken care of, as was the scout team in moving towards the South orchard, a sorth skirmish around the Farm entrance with the squad withdrawn from the bend was uneventful and later the GIs withdrew into the farm. Kills: 9-5 in my favour. Endgame: The rest of the game saw me firing into the barns and farmhouse and probing with my two one man teams. The Gis in the barns and farmhouse were either killed inside or routed and gunned down outside. As I was sure that I had more points then my opponent and way fewer losses I didn't want to risk anything by advancing into the farm complex, I hadn't found the third of his squads so there could be a nasty surprise somewhere. I did manage to score all but one VL by moving on the outside of the complex so I ended up winning a minor victory 145-110, the losses were 21-7 in my favour. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bimmer Posted February 13, 2012 Author Share Posted February 13, 2012 FYI, the Round 1 scenario is now available in the Repository. Click 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poesel Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 Ok, I'm a bit late but better late than never! I hope this inspires Futon to also make an AAR... --- Minute 35: My guess for the enemy is that he will probably split his troops. One part moves on the west border towards the barn, the other eastwards by road and the south field towards the cafe. The plan: I can't stop a western approach to the barn and I don't want to go into the barn as this would severly limit mobilty. The barn only has two exits. So I will try to block the eastern exit and make sure he can't outflank me. The NS road is mine and I will defend it. So I'll try to move through east field, cafe and south field westwards and see what happens. 3rd group and the LMG will defend the barn exit. 1st&2nd & the HQ will go south to east field. 2nd group will defend the south part of the NS road and overwatch the orchard. 1st group will try to take the cafe. The enemy has a shorter way to it so I thought I've had to haste and cross the road early. I expected that crossing it would be more difficult later in the game. Hindsight shows that haste is costly. --- Minute 34: I've split 3rd and 1st group. 3rd group & LMG are crossing the road to the barn. 1st group C squad is heading for the bocage corner at the crossroad for overwatch. A&B are using the far east gap to the WE road as I expect the enemy to control the road --- Minute 33: 3rd group is set up to defend the barn exit. A&B secure the southern approach. C lies in ambush behind a gap in the bocage. The LMG covers the exit from the barns yard. As expected in the south the enemy is in the WE road and the south field. 2nd has set up behind the bocage overwatching the orchard. 1st/A&B are taking fire while running up the road. I wished the would hug the low bocage to get into cover of the cafe but they decide to stay in the open. 1st/C is in overwatch with the HQ behind it to give C2 for 1st&2nd group. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poesel Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 Minute 32: Nothing happens at the barn. 1st/A&B are taking heavy fire. B squad takes a hit, gets suppressed and crawls back to the friendly corner - right across the road through enemy fire! Lots of germans on the road. 1st/A squad moves into the small building south of the cafe. At the time I didn't recognize it as a barn type building - a severe mistake. As can be seen in the picture they caught in the crossfire. They fire at the guy at the right but don't see the MG at the left. Two are killed in rapid succesion. The remaining member of the squad flees into the northern cafe building. The HQ moves across the road to the bocage overwatching south orchard to get closer to the troups and give some support. 2nd/C moves with two men into the orchard. First I want to touch the objective and also I want some eyes on what happens in the west. I expected the enemy to move unto the barn but that didn't seem to have happened yet. ----- Minute 31: Nothing happens at the barn. At the cafe 1st/B squad finally move into the yard to get into cover from fire from the road and from east field. I have no intel what happens south of the cafe which worries me. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poesel Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 Minute 30: Nothing happens at the barn. Not much happens at the Cafe (that I can see). Main action is at the orchard and the adjoining road. The enemy uses the middle gap in the bocage to move his troops en masse through. 2nd/C is in good position and kills two. Unfortunatly (or maybe not) they are distracted by movement on the road and shoot and throw grenades at enemies behind the bocage. Theres a gap there but noone comes through. But maybe their presence is enough as a deterrent. I hope Futon makes an AAR too... . Through this distraction the soldiers at the middle gap get their act together and start to shoot back. I'm a bit surprised that he didn't use the western gap. ----- Minute 29: I'm pretty sure now that the enemy is not yet in the barn and so I do not expect any northern flanking maneuvers in the near future. I send 3rd/B around the farm to the north to support C squad. Their orders will be to move around the farm to the northwest. The heavy firefight in the orchard continues. 2nd/C perishes but the germans are taking a higher toll. I shuffle 2nd/A a bit to the north at the dog leg because they can't see the enemy from their current location. At the cafe everyone stays put. A great mistake. ----- Minute 28: 3rd/B&C leap frog around the NW barn without a contact. Here is a point where I have to critize the map: I don't think its fair that you can achieve the farm objectives from outside the farm. The shootout in the orchard continues and the germans loose another two. One squad seems to route and flees northward towards the farm. Nothing happens at the cafe. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poesel Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 Minute 27: 3rd/B&C continue they way around the farm. They encounter a two man scout team and kill them both. Since I see the enemy moving into the barn from the west end I move 3rd/A from the southern approach to the wall at the eastern barn exit. The germans are crossing the orchard towards the farm and loose one from the HQ team. This event is mirrored as I also loose my HQ leader to a shot along the cafe into the road. Just now I realize how vulnerable my position at this point is! I have some sound contacts on the south of the cafe but keep the squad in the yard. I can't fathom why I did this. ----- Minute 26: At the west end of the barn 3rd/B&C move a bit forward but stay behind the corner of the house. More germans cross the orchard but no hits. At this point I'm not sure where they are heading. 3rd/A can look into the farm yard but I'm not sure if they would see everything given the weather. More unfortunate things happen at the cafe: the three men from 1st/B are shot from behind/above from one german of a LMG team in the first floor of the west cafe building. To add insult to injury he uses his pistol... At least I get at least one behind the cafe, too. But three germans manage to get eastwards past the cafe. Thats no good news if they manage to get to east field. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poesel Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 Minute 25: Theres a shootout between 3rd/C (3 men) and a group of three germans with a MG. C squad has a BAR with them and lies in waiting. The germans just arrive behind a fence. Two of the germans were immediatly killed, the other a few seconds later. Again I learn that is better to have the enemy come to me than the other way round. At the cafe 1st/C behind the bocage at the crossroad manages to get one of the three guys that were trying to outflank me. The other head for the eastern gap in the bocage. Here Futon gets bitten by one of the quirks of CMBN: the first of the two moves through the gap but then waits for the second to follow. He subsequently gets also shot by 1st/C. The third guy never shows up. ----- Minute 24: 3rd/B&C start to shuffle around the SW farm building. At the orchard two germans are seen to run along the southern farm wall. 2nd/A is still behind the bocage and kills one of them. I send the remaining men from the HQ across the road to the east of the cafe. I expect the lone survivor of the flanking group to show up there. Also I hope to lure out the one guy still in the west cafe building. ----- Minute 23: 3rd/B&C shuffle. More germans at the southern farm wall. Noone is hit and 2nd/A has no LOS because the bocage angles away. The LMG is trained on the fence to the south as I don't expect anyone entering the barn yard from the west. Also theres still 3rd/A. At the cafe my guessing was right and I did do well to put the HQ in place. However I didn't know that Sergeant O'Brien is the worst shot in the US army. He misses 8 shots at 30m on a free standing man sized target. But 'nil nisi bonum' as we will see shortly. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poesel Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 Minute 22: A very busy minute. Now 3rd/B&C have to cross the fence. I put C as close to the fence as I can get, wait a few secondes and then have B jump the fence. My guess was right and there are two germans at the side of the house. So good preparation pays off - they jump the fence, idle around, the germans turn and shoot one of the guys! Grrr - if had just walked around the corner I probably would have just shot both. At the south wall/east end of the farm my LMG team wait for the germans to round the corner. The first one bites the bullet but another managed to get behind the wall unseen. Behind him a third one surrenders. The one behind the wall pulls out a hand grenade and throws it at my LMG team - probably a Schnitzel too much yesterday as it sails beyond them behind the berm of the bocage. He then fires a rifle grenade buts its a lucky day for corporal Cooper as both are wounded but noone dies. In the ensuing firefight the german is shot as well as the surrending guy right behind him. This may sound as a war crime, but he actually dies when the rifle grenade is fired (but in the opposite direction). The LMG did shoot before that and I can hear a death cry but the soldier does not die then. Maybe thats a glitch. I have the save game if BFC is interested. Two other germans surrender, but smartly well away from the firefight. At the cafe the expected happens: the lone german turns, fires one burst with his MG and kills O'Brien. I send the two scouts from 1st/C but they can't see him. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poesel Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 Minute 21: 3rd/B takes revenge at the SW farm building and shoots one of the guys that shot his buddy. The other is spotted by C squad in the house and is killed quickly. Theres no enemy left at the orchard. At the cafe the lone german who killed O'Brien escapes the eyes of 1st/C and moves back to the crossroads where he is welcomed by 2nd/B. ----- Minute 20: The lone german who shot O'Brien is finally shot by 2nd/B. Nothing else happens this round and the game ends. ----- Wrap up: The one man LMG team I suspect in the cafe is already dead. Didn't notice when. Best squad of the game is 2nd/B - an AT team! Summary: My attack on the cafe was a total failure. Of the nine men send south of the road only one survived. Sending men in the barn was a failure as not sending other men into the house was another. I was lucky that Futon attacked through the orchard. If he had chosen to go through the cafe things might have been very different. What I did well was being at places before the enemy went there. I should do that more often. Thanks for playing! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poesel Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 Not wanting to be a comment whore but 7 posts of AAR with 35 pictures and descriptions should have at least caused one comment... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bimmer Posted February 20, 2012 Author Share Posted February 20, 2012 You're right, it should have, most of all from me - sorry. I read the whole thing and got so engrossed I ended up leaving the house in a rush as a result, thus not having time to leave a comment. Well done AAR, and I certainly hope that it inspires everyone else who has not yet contributed theirs to this thread to do so. Likewise, there hasn't been much discussion of the scenario itself. How did you guys feel about it? There are clearly some tactical choices to be made, but it's interesting that some who made similar decisions came up with radically different results. What style of play do you think best suited the scenario? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poesel Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 Thanks! At least one who read it. About the scenario: I liked it. Lots of options. My only two quibbles I have are with the farm: one, that you could get the farm objectives from outside the walls. Two, that the farm is build like a castle. The additional walls for added protection inside the buildings are ok but only two entries? A bit limiting. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bimmer Posted February 21, 2012 Author Share Posted February 21, 2012 A valid point about being able to achieve the objectives from the outside. That should be changed. As far as it being like a fortress, that was intentional. Norman farms can be quite fortress-like, with very thick walls and few windows and entrances/exits. I wanted it to be a very difficult complex to assault if someone was actually able to gain control of it. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cogust Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 I have the same opinion about the Vls, it felt kinda cheap to claim them without entering the farm complex. The other thing is that the briefing more or less tells you to be cautious, but you will benefit by rushing forward from the start to be first to the important locations while the player that really scouts ahead will have to attack his way to victory. Despite those minor flaws it is a great scenario and I had a blast playing it. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bimmer Posted February 21, 2012 Author Share Posted February 21, 2012 I have the same opinion about the Vls, it felt kinda cheap to claim them without entering the farm complex. The other thing is that the briefing more or less tells you to be cautious, but you will benefit by rushing forward from the start to be first to the important locations while the player that really scouts ahead will have to attack his way to victory. Despite those minor flaws it is a great scenario and I had a blast playing it. The briefing was intended to be appropriate for your mission: reconnaissance. Certainly, caution plays a part, but reconnaissance can also be about speed. Some players rushed ahead and benefited, while others rushed right into ambushes. In other words, it was deliberately vague in order to get players to make their own decisions about how to proceed. I fully recognize that this can be frustrating, but that comes with the territory. Glad you enjoyed it. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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