WO2 Failure to Communicate AAR (The End)

John and I continued our game this morning and as we expected it was pretty short and brutal. At this stage of the game, given our mutual lack of infantry and the tightrope we were both walking regading the victory conditions, any events like a sniper or a snakes at the right time could make a difference.

And do it proved...at one point, I had forestalled a possible CC attack with the 10-2 and a concealed unit by rolling a snakes to strip concealment from the squad, but it was not enough in the CC, as John wiped out my 9-2 and squad (5CVP), retaking a building and I could only wound the 10-2. This was later magnified by the wounded 10-2 HOBing in the last French turn to a 10-3 albeit wounded and retaking one of the 4 buildings I had seized control of.

This all became moot when the French Sniper made his second and game winning intervention in the 42W2 building, breaking my solitary squad and thereby allowing John to hold the building witha single half squad but more importantly taking the German squad prisoner for a matter of 4CVP, and tipping me over the CVP cap of 24. Game over, man. Game over.

The End of the Game: German Casualties hit 25CVP

Conclusions:

• I over deployed at the start. If I had only gone with the usual 2 squads deployed as scouts, i would have mainatined more of a force in being.
• I lacked a real focus on attack. In retrospect after eliminating John's armour in the North, I should have kept pushing through that axis with my central force and placed real pressure on his defence of the 42W2 building. 
• In the south, I failed to keep enough Good Order troops together aand the deplyed half squads were too vulnerable to losses and achived very little of note.
• Board 54 is a puzzle in itself in terms of the best approaches to winkle out defenders from the various hamlets. This scenario is one that almost certainlly demands that both players have played it before to really make the most of it as it really is an ongoing balancing act between force preservation and time.
• Recommended, and it would work well for the long round in a tourney because of the tight nature of the VC coupled with the numbers of AFVs almost certainly going to be involved within urban areas.

Pete

WO2 Failure to Communicate AAR (in progress)

John Knowles and I are working our way through the Winter Offensive scenarios (or rather we were going to, John's changed his mind) and this is where we're up to.

The Start: 

Turn 1: I think I made a cardinal error in this game at the very start by not creating a schwerpunkt and also by overly deploying. Yes it's all about building control, but it's also about massing fire on points of resistance, and later in the game, I find it hard to generate enough firepower against high TEM defenders as well as occupy buildings.

Turn Three:

Turn 3: John's armour has been of little worth, up north the tankettes effectively vapourised in the face of ATR and LMG fire (a common theme when John lets me loose with LATW in early war scenarios). John has taken the Minefield OB option which I was actually okay about as the lack of any other armour or ATG apart from the starting 25mm and Pan Pan frees up my light armour a little bit.

Turn Five:

Turn 5: I've KOed the Panhard, the ATG was decrewed then overrun, thereby allowing me to get in position to attrite his southern stronghold. I still need to clear the board 42 building complex (there's only a concealed leader in there) but i am now seeing the result of death by the half-squad coming back to bite me. Force Preservation in this has fallen by the wayside, and it will be touch and go as to whether I can get the 5 buildings, especially as I'm now at 14 VP so can't afford to lose two AFVs.

It's now John's turn and his reinforcement squad and a very valuale leader will make a difference. I wouldn't mind finishing the WO scenarios via VASL Live if possible, and I do have one slot available on weekends.

Pete.