Silly After Action Report - Fighting Back

 Colonel Tadeusz Wlydyrczk looked around him with satisfaction. Everywhere grim faced soldiers were preparing for the attack. The Germans weren't going to know what hit them although if forced to guess most of them would probably say "A bunch of pissed off Poles." Even the green troops made up of cadets, reservists and the scrapings of the Salvation Army's stockade seemed in good shape. Small metallic beetles lurched around their antics giving a valuable moment of light heartedness to troops readying themselves for combat. The colonel's eye fell on a group of heavily laden soldiers guided by his most expendable officer. "Get the mortars and radio into the woods," he ordered, "we'll need them later." The officer, already suspecting his fate, looked up at the colonel with despair. "Is this really necessary?" "Absolutely," lied the colonel, "couldn't do it without you." With a heavy sigh the officer trudged off resigned to ending his days as a mere 7-0.

This is ASL Scenario 86 - Fighting Back. Here I command a teeming mass of Poles determined to prove that blitzkrieg isn't all it cracked up to be as they launch a counterattack against Dave's over extended Germans. My forces enter at the top of the board and have to capture four buildings inconveniently located at the bottom. In between are fields, forests and of course, the Germans. It has to be said the Poles haven't left anything in the bank for this one. I have no fewer than twenty squads; four elite, eight first line and eight green. These are urged into action by four officers including a 9-1. Between them they lug a pair of medium machine guns, a pair of 46mm mortars and a radio connecting them a battery of 80mm artillery. Rattling tinnily on in support are six of the tiniest, most useless AFVs you will ever encounter. Five TKS tankettes (basically a metal plated shoebox with a machine gun) and a TKS(L) (same shoebox with the machine gun replaced by a 20mm ATR). Lest you think this burgeoning force insufficient on turn 4 six more first line squads appear on a flank with another MMG guided by an 8-1 leader and accompanied by two more TKS(L)s and a pair of machine gun armed trucks (possibly the Poles had Somali military advisors). The tanks also had an 8-1 armour leader for some reason.

That it has to be said is quite the force. What on earth could stand against it? Cue doom filled melodramatic music. Dave's Germans nestled in stolen Polish buildings awaiting the onslaught. Making a stand for tyranny and injustice are twelve first line German squads and three officers including their own 9-1. They have a heavy machine gun, four light machine guns, a pair of 50mm mortars (four whole millimetres bigger than my own) and two antitank rifles. A pair of 37mm guns provide anti armour support relishing this rare moment of relevance and ten concealment counters help to misdirect my attention.

 

The above is our at start set up. I have planned to bring the bulk of my force in on the centre left where it can take advantage of a forest covered approach. Green troops will then take the lead plunging forwards catching bullets meant for better men while the rest of my force sorts itself out and dials in the artillery. On the other side a lesser force will drive down looking to push Dave's forward troops out of their advanced positions and hook up with my reinforcements to threaten his flank. Some of this plan worked. A lot of it (specifically the artillery and mortar components) didn't.

The first couple of turns were easy. Dave couldn't really see anything and my troops panted forwards eager to come to grips with the enemy. My guys moved forwards, green troops in the van while the mortar toting squads guided by a 7-0 leader carrying the radio pushed into some woods where they could see at least the beginnings of Dave's defences. Anyone who has read any of my AARs knows what's coming next. Dave revealed a 50mm mortar and went on a rate tear which only ended when my 7-0 was wounded and broken and my two squads reduced to a broken halfsquad. There would be no artillery or mortars on the Polish side this day.

So much for the mortars and artillery

I had moved a couple of tanks forward to support the attack I had intended to make with artillery and mortar support. They suddenly found themselves unsupported and one of them chose this moment to break its main (and only) armament. Things were going well. I must admit I was somewhat at a loss as to what to do with my tanks, it is virtually impossible for them to harm the infantry sitting inside stone buildings. Eventually I worked out that they were there for VBM but since I had no infantry within useful distance the tanks just sat there looking impotent. On the plus side on the far right my green troops pushed forward ignoring the disaster that had overcome my artillery support. 

This is how it went for the next couple of turns. Flanks pushing forward while in the centre I tried to scrape together a force that would penetrate his defences. In truth I hadn't really reached his defences yet. I had bumped into his outpost line, a single squad, lmg and mortar team which had proved sufficient to stop my main thrust in its tracks. As I bumbled around trying to patch together an attack from troops who now seemed to be hopelessly out of position or broken (those were the ones that were in position) both sets of flankers pushed forward. I'd like to say I levered Dave out of his defences but actually he was trading space for time with my boys following in his wake.

Flankers are pushing forward. The centre is asking for directions. Ignore the spotting round, my 7-0 is weeping in a pool of his own blood

Dave for his part was happy to concede me a little territory in return for keeping his line and his concealment intact. The exception was on the left where I had overwhelmed the combination of dummy stacks and throwaway troops he had left to contest the forward buildings. I had hopes of a serious flank attack when my reinforcements came on. 

My reinforcements came on and despairing of my centre I decided this is where victory lay. I pushed forward vigorously helped by the complete absence of opposition. Helpful civilians ratted out the position of an antitank gun in one of the victory buildings. Meanwhile in the centre a tank had succumbed to machine gun fire. Dave finally dropped the mask on the far right and defensive fire wounded an officer and pinned most of my green troops in place. To do so he revealed another squad and a half. So far Dave had committed the equivalent of three squads to the fight and it had been more than enough.

OK the centre right looks like a lost cause but look at my reinforcements go

I was torn between giddy excitement on the left and weeping frustration in the centre and right. One hopeful sign was that a number of green squads that had been perfectly entitled to break had merely pinned. Perhaps I could scrape them back together and proceed. As to my main force? Well those guys were still dicking about trying to deal with his outpost troops.

We were now five turns deep in a ten turn game and I didn't seem to have got very far but wait gentle reader for I was finally ready. On the far right my green troops sorted themselves out and pushed gently forward. In the centre I finally managed to make inroads into dealing with his outpost position by the simple process of committing more troops than he had bullets. And on the left, oh gentle reader on the left my reinforcements surged forward troops and gun trucks roaring around like a period version of Mad Max. Little tanks VBM'ed his defenders and I pushed into my first victory building while other troops scuttled around to the rear.

Took long enough

Finally things were coming together. I was pressing Dave's defences from three sides. My it would have been nice to have some smoke to shroud my approach but I have long since learnt that artillery is something that happens to other people. It only remained to be seen if I had left myself enough time to sweep Dave out of his positions (if you're getting bored with this the answer is "no"). 

I had the bit between my teeth now. My reinforcements surged forward capturing one victory building and challenging for two others. My main force tried to make up for their earlier reticence by flooding a now safe street with troops as various toy town tanks VBM sleazed and hoped to survive the subsequent close combats. On the right my green troops did as much as might be expected of them and at least kept Dave's attention. Dave dragged his 37mm out into the street and started sending armour piercing rounds towards one of my gun trucks. I did make one idiotic mistake. I sent a gun truck looping around the bottom hoping to press his final building but I had forgotten the damn thing couldn't make it over the wall. Before I withdrew it it did manage to kill his gun crew. It didn't matter too much as Dave simply revealed his second mortar team and started dropping rounds on my other gun truck. Fortunately without success.

If you don't look at the turn counter I seem to be doing well

 

Unfortunately Dave's second antitank gun was nestled in the building directly behind the gun I had just bereaved of a crew. It smashed up another of my little tanks but at least the mask had been dropped. Far to the rear my wounded 7-0 leader self rallied and clutched at the radio he could no longer carry. Dave and I giggled politely at the thought of him making any contribution to the action. Then Dave's sniper went off and my wounded 7-0 nobly stepped forward taking the bullet meant for more useful men. It was his first contribution to the game and his last. Meanwhile down where the real action was taking place...

His atg had managed to take out one of my gun trucks but despite this loss my reinforcements pressed forward through two more victory buildings driving Dave's hapless troops before them (that's my story and I'm sticking to it). Sadly my gallant green troops on the right had pretty much reached the end of their elastic. Firepower from a single squad sent them fleeing (although not very far). This wouldn't have been a problem except my main force had once again got itself caught up and delayed by vastly inferior forces. A close combat with a single squad raging for several turns. Despite this I had too many troops to be completely delayed and I oozed forward. Dave's defence now consisted on the sole remaining victory building which he had packed with troops (or at least concealment counters) sending them up to upper levels and challenging me to dig him out as the clocked ticked down.

I couldn't do it. I took three buildings, I got a foothold in the fourth. Dave had his back against the wall with nowhere to go. One more turn would have won it for me but there wasn't another turn.  

The end

So defeat at the last. In retrospect I was too cautious early. I allowed minor troops to hold up the bulk of my attack while I got all of my ducks in a row. I should have attacked early and disregarded casualties (forget the artillery, that shit never works for me). At the end what I need wasn't troops but time. As it was this was a thoroughly enjoyable game. The Poles have the tools to do the job I think, they just need a slightly more competent commander. Dave played an excellent defence pulling back just before being overwhelmed and delaying me again.

Colonel Wlydyrczk looked around at his dispirited troops. They had done well but not quite well enough. He was about to give a few words of support and encouragement when he saw the survivors of a mortar team hunched over a board. "Are you plotting firetables?" he asked. "No," replied one of the soldiers, "we're playing scrabble. Do you know how much your name is worth?"