Silly After Action Report - The Land of Fire Part 2

Dave and I continued our playing of FT190-The Land of Fire, colloquially known as Cock-up in the Crimea when I challenged him to justify having two Stuart tanks when the scenario card plainly allocated one. Dave apologised profusely and after he sacrificed his first born I forgave him and we continued.  We settled for removing one of the offending Stuarts and otherwise left things as they were.

Which left me in a bit of a pickle.  I had three turns to go and had yet to capture either of the two objectives I had set my heart on.  Further with my recalled StuG in the south slinking off the board in disgrace capturing the lighthouse was beginning to look a little problematic.  By the end of this turn problematic would be an optimistic description.

Attentive readers may recall that I had a berserk halfsquad ready to hurl itself on the nearest of his defenders.  I also had a squad adjacent.  I didn't really think the berserkers would achieve anything but I hoped they might tie up his defenders until the CC phase when I would be ready to reinforce them.  To assist with the reinforcing I assault moved a concealed squad forward as the same time as my berserkers charged to their death.  The berserkers of course died and subsequent fire was quite sufficient to break the two squads lined up to make the assault.  My attack died for lack of available troops.  Until I could get some reinforcements there the south was a dead letter.

Reinforcements in the shape of an lmg toting squad, a 9-1 leader and the nearest of my two remaining StuGs were on the way but they would take a turn to arrive.  Dave passed the time by shattering all my remaining troops in the south just to drive home the point that I wasn't going to capture the lighthouse.

Things looked a little more hopeful at the state farm where my long idle troops in the west finally took a deep breath, commended their souls to God and raced across the open ground to the rear of the farm.  Dave's two guns which I had been mildly paranoid about all game revealed themselves and banged away but much to my surprise my troops made it to the shelter of one of the stone buildings unharmed.  In the advancing fire phase my mortar scored its second critical hit to vapourise his 45mm gun leaving him with "only" the 76.  In the coming turns the mortar would beat that one up as well.  It has to be said that both of us got good mileage out of our mortars in this game.

Reinforcements are heading south but will they be in time?

The noose was tightening on the state farm, I had finally amassed enough firepower to strip concealment from one of his squads in the fortified building whereupon my flamethrower charred him to a broken crisp.  Moving in I would treat his other squad in the same way and suddenly the only unit Dave had in the farm was a hitherto hidden squad with an hmg and a 9-1 leader.  The leader fell to the most mediocre of morale checks but the squad proved to be made of sterner stuff.  Just to set the seal on what should be obvious success a morale check resulted in a Romanian hero adding his two bans worth to the conflict.  Which was good as the hmg squad smashed up the first troops I sent against him but I had plenty more.

In the south my reinforcements arrived just in time to witness the virtual destruction of my initial force as my troops proved incapable of passing a morale check to save their lives.  Rushing to the rescue the 9-1 was first pinned, then broken and finally sniped to death in what seemed a little like overkill to me.  With nothing left to reinforce the two squads and single StuG would have to achieve a miracle.  Just for a second it looked like they might.  I gunned the StuG forward, passed my ESB roll and parked right on top of his first trench, then moved a squad right next to it.  In the close combat phase these heroes would wipe out the defenders and I would have a squad quite close to the objective.  Of course there was a Stuart tank and a squad with an lmg between them and the lighthouse and another squad in the lighthouse but I permitted myself a tiny trickle of hope.

End Romanian turn 6.  There is still a tiny chance left.

 

Over in the state farm I decided to overwhelm his sole remaining squad (and hmg) with sheer numbers.  Having finally dispatched his sole other squad in CC I now had a StuG, a flamethrower and no end of squads within range.  The last turn rolled around and I made my move.  Firstly I hit the recalcitrant squad with fire from the StuG's 75mm gun.  I needed a nine to hit.  I rolled a ten.  I intensive fired the gun and rolled an eleven.  Another StuG out of the battle.  So much for softening him up.  Time for the assault.  Three first line squads guided by the hero assaulted into the building beneath the defenders and another pair of elite squads stormed up the stairs next to him.  Dave settled for firing on the three squads beneath him for a 20+3 shot.  He achieved a morale check.  Two squads broke and the third pinned.  The hero alone was left to advance.  I shrieked of course but I still had two squads adjacent and had moved my flamethrower into position for an advancing fire shot.  The flamethrower managed a pin result and I looked forward to the upcoming close combat with relish.  Despite being pinned the bastard still ambushed me and then I rolled boxcars on my CC die roll.  The state farm would not fall.

Which just left the lighthouse where perhaps I could salvage a little pride.  My StuG dropped a smoke round into the building and the lmg squad underneath it tried a 12+2 squad at the adjacent trench bound defenders for no result.  I was out of options.  I had an 8-0 and one squad left.  The only thing I could do was push them through the trees and hope they survived the ensuing defensive fire to wind up next to the lighthouse.  Dave took a shot with the machine guns on his Stuart tank and rolled a three.  That was the end of my hopes.  I had achieved not one of the three objectives never mind two.  I was a little disappointed as (the occasional piece of lunacy not withstanding) I didn't think I had played too badly.  Still c'est la guerre and I would have another chance with the Romanians as I was playing Mike Sexton in the sister scenario Romania Victor the next day.

End game. All that's missing are my hot, wet tears.

Major Stansinacu listened in disbelief to the torrent of abuse pouring out of the receiver.  When the general paused for breath, and possibly a heart attack, he attempted to defend himself.

"My men did not flee the field and abandon the artillery to their fate.  The artillery are making that report from Sevastopol, my men are dead on their objectives!"

Another burst of vituperation from the phone.

"No sir, of course I'm not accusing our German allies of lying.  Why on earth would they do that?  The Third Reich is famous for its straightforward, simple honesty.  No sir, of course I'm not being sarcastic, a man as insightful as yourself would pick up on that immediately.  Oh, a chance to redeem myself?  Oh thank you sir, yes I do think I have winter camouflage," suspicion crept into his voice, "Why?".