Scenario Fervent Anticipation: how do you play as axis?

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

I just tried the scenario Fervent Anticipation from the CMAK Companion scenarios. How in the world are you supposed to make any headway?

*********Very minor spoiler*********

The map requires that you climb a hill through a wall or a patch of rough and the enemy is waiting point blank at the top. I'd love to know if anyone has any suggestions for dealing with this type of situation. I'm also glad to PBEM as allies if someone wants to show me

[Berlichtingen]

Rough is excellent cover, as are the large patches of woods. Your troop quality is outstanding, and if you don't rush, you really shouldn't have that much trouble

[JasonC]

This is all spoilered - don't read it if you haven't played this scenario and plan to.

I sent B company along the north edge to come at the back flagged field on that side through a rough area. They moved in column of platoons, first up the rough to the field north of the first flag on that side, staying well away from the flagged field. Then along the edge, skirting the one tile of woods in the middle of the scattered trees, to the north. They made the move easily in five minutes.

I had an overwatch of one vet squad, the company HQ, and the 50mm mortar, cover the one spot of woods that might get LOS to the first patch of rough along the way, but there was no fire. They brought up the rear of the company column, therefore.

Meanwhile I planned on A company on my right doing a fixing secondary attack. They were grouped with 3rd platoon (good command) as "point", with one squad sent up each of the two rough approaches to the SW corner field, the HQ at the tree line below. These point squads were to move part way up the ridges but stay below the crest line.

1st and 2nd platoon lined up one behind each of these point squads. The company HQ covered the sandbag emplacement, spotting for the mortar, and had one squad a little ahead with LOS to the same area to suppress with MG fire (a 1 LMG, 1 SMG squad).

I planned to delay the fixing bit of a few minutes, but it triggered early when small moves were spotted. Turn 2 I took MG fire, replied, and turn 3 drew field gun fire at the repliers. The mortar spent turn 3 hitting the MG, without hurting it much, and turn 4 on the gun, which it thankfully KOed.

The point squad on the right was the first to draw MG fire and pulled back down to farther below the crest. I had the platoon behind them take point, move to contact up to woods level with the crest. That triggered a whole platoon of fire. While they tried to pull back, pinned, they stayed and died as it happened, drawing a lot of ammo but not hurting the platoon above the crest very much. They did located essentially the whole thing, though. That was the right hand squad - the left hand one was OK.

By turn 5, the other 3rd platoon squad was hanging below the crest line and sneaking a 28m LOS to the edge of a foxhole, without LOS to the foxhole itself, and tossing in their grenade bundle. I pulled that one more time a little later with a different squad. Too much time between them, though - hurt one squad that way but no real breakthrough. I'd also had one squad halved by the gun, which was rallying, the mortar was dry, and some HQs and 1-2 squads had thrown their ammo at the MG in front.

All that was on the first five minutes on the right, while the left was completely quiet, making their flanking march. Reasonably good distraction, realistically, if a bit expensive.

Turns 6 through 10, B company went through the back corner field on my left like a hot knife. They saw one foxhole before any trigger, because the guy in it was apparently facing the wrong way. Couldn't see him but knew he had to be there. I have 5 units in LOS with one ordered to advance to 10m, when he noticed, turned, and fired. He did not last the minute.

Two other units responded to the attack by entering LOS. I ran later portions of the column into LOS where necessary. The following minute I had half a company on each of these shooters. They stubbornly refused to suppress. I kept in up the following minute, with men closing to grenade range on each, etc. They died.

Others came into view of the leading closers, but these are crack Germans with +2 morale HQs, and they just do not pin. So in the next few turns I ate all the remaining men in that field, and a few others coming over trying to help, from the forward one on that left side. Losses were minimal here, a few squads halved and one platoon low on ammo, half the mortar rounds expended.

If I had been more patient waiting for this flank attack to fully develop, I undoubtedly could have done the whole thing more cheaply. I did hold off turns 6-9 or so on the right, hanging just below the crest line. They foolishly showed themselves in a few places and I blew them up. They took out one more squad in that exchange, though, and ran me lower on ammo.

I figured they had weakened their far right enough, and sent one platoon around to where the first guy up at the woodline level with the crest, had died back around turn 4-5, away from where they had just shown themselves at the crest. And I came up. The result was a firefight along the crest as I put men in the rough. I shot my way in there. That platoon of Brits had been facing a whole company for a while, had blown ammo, had some units ragged out, etc. It was still messy, and another squad was killed, two more halved.

The MG was still holding out and firing, when B company HQ and one squad from the flankers came to the center of the "four corners" area between all the flags, and fired at them from back there. I drew fire from one remaining squad in the full woods, left front flag field. I put the mortar on it and ran a squad forward to close with them. Worked fine, they were pinned when the squad got LOS again at 25m, and it made short work of them.

Meanwhile I sent a weakened, low ammo platoon from B company for the back right, orchard area flag. A squad the 2 LMGs but little ammo and the HQ covered from the wall. A squad with more like 15 ammo and 2 SMGs made the actual move. They drew MG fire and did not have a pleasant time.

Meanwhile, the strongest platoon from B company ran down into the right front field from the center "four corners" area - using "run" to cross the open strip and wall, successfully. They helped mop up men fleeing A company's corner assault. That done, they turned that Vickers still holding out at the front field - first unit to fire, fired at all game, last unit to fall.

I still had a minor mess to sort out from my too rapid grab for the orchard flag, but I had plenty of time, men, and ammo for it. The Brits had had enough and auto-surrendered. Elapsed time - only 15 minutes. German losses - 58. I could have taken fewer if I had used more of the time, relying more on the flank attack and pressing the fixing one a bit less hard. But it was perfectly doable.

[ June 04, 2005, 01:55 PM: Message edited by: JasonC ]

[JasonC]

Here is the plan I used, as I drew it at set up, and first time out. Not an after action thing, this is what I hoped and intended to do. I had not played the scenario before.

It went pretty much like that. I've got a bunch of saved game files, maybe I will make some screen shots to illustrate my AAR.

[ June 04, 2005, 01:46 PM: Message edited by: JasonC ]

[JasonC]

Here are some screenshots. It is turn 5, and this is the tactical situation on the right, in the A company sector.

You can see the squad selected is hanging on the rocks below the crest line, with a sneaky LOS to the edge of a foxhole, close enough to toss in its grenade bundle. You can also see the 2 flag gun position, showing the crew and gun are now separate, AKA the gun is knocked out. On the right in the distance, you can see one squad up above the crest line, in woods - it drew a platoon of fire and died in a few minutes.

Meanwhile, on my left, B company is flanking the whole position along the north edge.

The company is in a long column of platoons, only 2 units wide at its thickest point. That lets them all go through a thin area, minimizing the chance of running into somebody, and everybody behind the first platoon is safe from immediate contact. The lead guys are crossing the rough into the back left flagged field. The trailing guys - company HQ, mortar, and one squad - are back on the slope up out of the set up zone. The bulk of the company is strung out between, in the first field east of the set up zone, along the north edge.

[ June 04, 2005, 01:45 PM: Message edited by: JasonC ]

[JasonC]

Here is turn 9 in the B company sector.

As you can see, the name of the game is many on few. One squad is already eliminated, and nearly the whole company has run within firing range in the last minute. Two British units can't hold off a crack company in about the same cover they've got, at nearly point blank range.

Meanwhile on the right, in A company's sector -

The Germans are "hugging the hill" just below the crest line. They aren't pressing, because they want the flank attack to develop. They are close enough to kill anyone who shows his nose over the crest, and to play occasional one on one differential LOS games at grenade range, when the opportunity presents itself.

[JasonC]

Turn 12, B company sector -

That Brit platoon is dead. Mopping up the left rear flag, with a full company in good order "in the house".

Meanwhile in the A company sector -

Now you can see the remaining Germans are massing at the crest line, high enough for LOS into the British positions. There are three British shooters remaining in this area - MG on the left, a likely platoon HQ in the middle, and a squad on the right. The Germans have "rough" or woods cover, and are crack or veteran with +2 combat leaders. Ranges are very short.

[JasonC]

And an overhead view of turn 15, just before the surrender -

Notice the heavy German losses are all in the A company sector, in the rough patches below the crest line. The Germans in the back part of that right front field came all the way around in 15 minutes. Also notice the one remaining British unit in the back left field is already a prisoner (it is the selected unit to show this).

A company held their attention, B company kicked their backside. Simple enough.

[ June 04, 2005, 02:08 PM: Message edited by: JasonC ]

[Wartgamer]

I got a major victory as the Germans (auto cease fire).

Basically did the same as Jason says above except my left hand flank attack did not go that deep. Tanking out the 18 pounder with a rush is key. managing exhaustion and ammo is also key.

[JasonC]

On managing exhaustion, I had no difficulty there. The main thing is just to always use "move" on the rocky slopes. You can't "advance" on those or you exhaust instantly. There are plenty of "seams" of just "rocky", not "rocky slope" (use the LOS tool), and you can avoid the move part being in LOS easily enough. Multiple speed changes are no big deal with crack men. I used move to contact more and advance less in the woods.

As for taking out the gun, the mortars will do it. If I had known the defense, I would have left the B company one back at the start line for overwatch. They only have 2 minutes of fire apiece, but that is enough to take it out. Also, it isn't that hard to avoid it outright, if you blow the mortar ammo without getting it. Just keep people off the treeline right in front.

Ammo can be an issue, but it wasn't for me. The main thing is to kill units, not just tickle them. You don't have enough to fire all day, but at these ranges and with such good shooters, you can easily kill them all without running dry. I had a platoon and a half low, that is about it. But I did avoid just setting up a base of squads firing at 150m into cover against an MG, for example. The walls can also suck out ammo because you won't hit men behind them that are heads down.

[Wartgamer]

Well it was the one and only time I played so the gun was a surprise and I had to rush it or be clobbered further.

I mostly use move to contacts and very short advance/assaults. There is plenty of time but I had a auto cease fire stop me from bagging all the limeys.