SOTW II: Surrounded... Spoiler Alert

[Shep]

I know absolutely nothing about this scenario, but I'm about to find out this week...

...I'll get back to you.

[Kitty]

Originally posted by Shep:

I know absolutely nothing about this scenario, but I'm about to find out this week...

...I'll get back to you.

What's SOTW II? Someone sent me a scenario called, "Surrounded" that we've just about finished. Is it the same one? Made by the Finns?

Kitty

[Shep]

SOTW II is Scenario of the Week, 2nd thread. The first thread is North Africa, while the second is Italy. Both threads go chronologically through their theatres, so we are to the second Italy scenario according to date.

[Kitty]

Originally posted by Shep:

SOTW II is Scenario of the Week, 2nd thread. The first thread is North Africa, while the second is Italy. Both threads go chronologically through their theatres, so we are to the second Italy scenario according to date.

Thanks. =)

Kitty

[AC]

Shep is running two scenarios per week now... so II would be the 2nd

Anyways, this is the scenario found on the CMAK CD.

I just played it as US against the AI. You have quite a considerable force at your disposal. 5 HTs to the east + ATG on tow, 1 HT+ATG and a MG jeep to the west, and a reinforced (?) company with lots of bazookas and FTs. The infantry is spread on the 4 corners of the map plus 1 platoon on the HTs.

The bridge is located in the middle of the map and no sign of the enemy can be seen. A road goes E-W dividing the map into 2. I used the default setup.

I decided to keep the platoon in the HTs in my reserves and to move the ATGs to locations where they could cover the road. Meanwhile I started to move the infantry towards the bridge through the 4 thick woods. I sent the MG jeep to scout a head so the ATG in west wouldnt get toasted before it is set up.

The jeep spotted an AC on the bridge and opened fire and pulled back by my order. It took a few mins to get the guns to position and then when they did, the AC was toast. Something else started moving on the bridge too which appeared to be a SPG... it was knocked out in the following turn and turned out to be a StuG III later on.

Meanwhile my infantry reached the outskirts of the forrest and engaged the first enemy infantry. I moved up the FTs (where available and roasted them quickly. The engineer platoon at NW didn't have a FT so I had to assault and took some casualties. I moved out of the woods to some scattered trees and the enemy troops sprung into action. Several squads and LMGs could be seen moving around the bridge, some opened fire on me. By now I had realized that the enemy was quite fanatic. Some of them refused to withdraw untill my FTs cooked them in their foxholes.

An enemy fighter appeared on the sky and I quickly started to move my vechiles to air cover. It was too late though and I lost 1 HT and the jeep on the first attack and another HT on the 2nd. Last fighter attack was on a FT team but it took no casualties.

Two enemy light guns opened fire on me on the west side of the bridge but I promtly roasted the crew of one and knocked the other out with a bazooka.

By now it was just a mop up operation. I took a few more casualties but managed to kill or capture most of the enemy troops before they surrendered.

The key to victory in this scenario was to take out the enemy armour ASAP and then coordinate your infantry carefully so that you can move the flamers front when needed and use MGs for support fire to suppress the enemy (which may be impossible considering the fanaticism I encoutered).

Result was something around 84-16 major victory to me when the enemy surrendered. I took around 26 casualties against the enemy's 55, losing the jeep and 2 HTs and one FT team. Rest of the units had only minor casualties.

Overall very fun scenario to play, though I'd slightly up the axis troop numbers to make it more balanced.

[Kitty]

My game as Axis vs human player isn't over yet (although it might as well be, I've lost), but we've both agreed it's very unbalanced in favor of allies so far. Haven't seen a single plane in the sky yet. More on this after it's officially over.

Kitty

[Shep]

AC - very well written AAR, and well executed battle.

Kitty - I would love to hear your AAR from the human vs. human battle. Would you mind a brief recap?

[Kitty]

Originally posted by Shep:

AC - very well written AAR, and well executed battle.

Kitty - I would love to hear your AAR from the human vs. human battle. Would you mind a brief recap?

I lost this one playing as Axis, 39% - 61% vs Elvis. So you don't think I'm whining about losing, here's what he had to say about the scenario: "You put up a good fight in what I am assuming is a poory designed game."

I tend to agree. I was surprised to read that there is a German plane in the game because unfortunately I didn't see one the entire time. Hence, I think the points for this plane would have been better used in the purchase of additional troops.

I also feel the limited options as to where to place the Stug is a big problem because of the straight road and cliffs on each side. Putting it in the snow and chancing it getting bogged down with no turret to increase it's field of fire lead me to keep it on the road, where it's vulnerable to bazooka attack from each end of the slopes by the bridge.

This, and the approach of the American forces from both ends of the map, restrict the use of the AFVs substantially. Again the points for these would have been better spend on Infantry or Infantry support weapons.

I was also surprised that the Germans weren't allowed to have foxholes at the start of the game. My guys were only able to dig three during the course of the game.

If the Americans attack from both sides to capture the bridge with HT, then that means they've crossed over on another bridge somewhere else, so what's the importance of this bridge? As there was no briefing for the German side, I guess we'll never know. =)

Kitty

[ January 10, 2004, 03:59 PM: Message edited by: Kitty ]

[AC]

I agree with you Kitty. The plane only caused some minor damage. And if it doesn't even appear every time, the points could have been spent a lot better on some more infantry or a tank or two with a turret. Since the Americans don't have any tanks but lots of other anti-tank weapons, it could have been a lot more balanced. To me it seemed like most of the enemy was dug-in though. Dont know about that.

[dangerousdave]

I played as US v AI also and agree that it was a lop sided game. I did encounter a few tough spots however. I employed pretty much the same strategy described above. The two guns sneaking up to positions along the road. The one didn't get to take out the AC, however, because the damn plane got the gun first. I lost that whole little group, except the mmg to the airplane.

Unlike in Kitty's game, the Germans in my game were well dug in. Some extremely stubborn. Most were relatively easy to root out with massive supressive fire and FT getting in range. The one group on that highest point (forget directions in the game N,S,E,W...), but the one on the same side as the Halftracks but other side of the road... that was the toughest nut to crack because it was impossible to sneak up on the position. I lost most of my casualties trying to take it out.

The AG was not much trouble, it took out my decoy HT, then got toasted by the gun. The biggest threat overall was the airplane. It was fun to play, but perhaps too easy. The Germans should have more squads.

[Kozure]

Played as American vs AI - after playing "Panic at Gela", I wanted to see the American war machine on the offense.

I abandoned the defaults and set up surprisingly similar to AC (considering I hadn't yet read the AAR), with three platoons attacking from three sides of the bridge, with one platoon split as a reserve on both sides near halftracks, platoon commander handling one and the company commander handling the other.

With a veritable plethora of bazookas, I assigned two to each platoon and still had plenty left over. I decided that the scenario designers might have something up their sleeve, so I deployed three bazookas and a MMG covering entry areas of the road in the event that mechanized rescue forces arrived and tried to help the beleaguered bridge defenders. (Never materialized)

I used the jeep as a mobile scout as AC did, taking a look up the road before I deployed the 57mm guns to shoot straight down that bowling alley of a defensive position.

I had the platoons advance on all sides, with half-squads leading the way. In all cases, the half-squads were hit first, so the entire platoons weren't cut up by ambushes. The enemy defences were fairly much where I was expecting them, so with manoeuvring, I was able to overcome two of the three positions without difficulty. I was surprised twice by flamethrowers, one enemy flamethrower section popping up completely unnoticed to inflict 8 casualties on one unlucky squad. Fortunately, our flamethrowers were able to give ample retribution.

The enemy CAS (a 109, I think) shot up two halftracks and then somehow managed to knock out the 57mm guarding one side of the road (it was hidden, in a wood tile...?). It made a few more passes, but by that point, I had all my HTs in cover. I was fortunate not to have anyone riding in the HTs at the time and shook my head at the default set-up of one mounted platoon riding blithely down the road.

Both the armoured car and the StuG III behaved strangely, both trying to climb up steep hillsides in an effort to aid the platoons on the perimeter. A bazooka firing across the road gap took out the 8-rad, and the StuG endured multiple bazooka hits before being lit up by a flamethrower.

With the AFV support gone, my HTs advanced cautiously to provide MMG fire. With one platoon bogged down in fighting, I committed parts of the reserve platoon to help out and in minutes it was over. By turn 26, I could see it was a mop-up operation and I offered the poor gallant defenders a ceasefire. They accepted readily.

I suppose the AI somehow knew to avoid being in the open; neither of my 57mm AT guns had a shot the entire game.

79% - 21% Major US victory. Light US casualties... 1 gun and 2 HTs knocked out. All other platoons more or less in fighting order, two with one squad badly mauled by flamethrowers.

An interesting tactical exercise, with the old maxim about how to take a bridge (from both ends at once) being shown to good effect. Not much chance for the German defenders though. I would've been pleased to see a last minute rescue effort by panzers or something.