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Christophe Jaureguiberry -> (1/22/2002 6:45:00 AM)
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Hello Redleg,
Just a little note to thank you for your scenario. I've played it and here are my observations for what they're worth:
Upon starting the scenario and studying the terrain, I decided not to attempt a frontal movement on the objectives since the cover was very poor and I had been warned about the potential firepower of the FJ. (for the purpose of description, we will assume that the top of the game screen is North).
One game turn representing 5-10 mn in real-time, I realized that the 12 turns would not be sufficient for my maneuver. Since the scenario description did not point out that there was a strategic reason for taking the objectives in under an hour, the commander in the field decided not to rush and take his time to advance cautiously. (i.e. I went in the editor and changed the length from 12 to 20 turns).
Start:
The three Norwegian sections are sent southwards to cross the river under the cover of forest. Their aim is to sweep from the south to the east, take position in the southern hills overlooking the objectives, clear those hills of hostile presence if any, and then assault the objectives from the south, coordinating with the French. The sole exception to this are the two Norwegians MG which position themselves in the southern field to protect the flanking movement of the Norwegian company.
The mortar is used to erect a wall of smoke between the objectives and the fields to the west, and the hills to the south. Once the French mortar becomes available, it joins in this task.
The French proceed to their start lines in the two western fields, preparing to assault the objectives all together in one jump once everybody is in place. With the firepower of the FJ and the fact that they would probably reach the objectives before me (a fact that was confirmed by the apparition of swastikas on the objectives) I thought that a mass attack would be the only way to overpower them. The only exception to this assault were the French 2nd in command unit (B0) and the Engineers, which mounted the 2 AGR Renault trucks with the MG section and were sent to support the Norwegians in their flanking movement.
Just a side note on the trucks: I think 3 trucks such as the Citroën 45U would work better than the 2 Renault AGR. The problem with the Renaults is that their combined carry value is 42 (21+21), but you can only load two squads in them since you can not break a squad. It is quite frustrating to have a supposedly sufficient transport capacity for a whole section, but not be able to use it because of a game mechanism. With the 3 Citroëns, you can move a squad (or mortars + MG's), yet the total carry value is 36 (12+12+12).
By turn 8, the French were more or less in their assault positions and the Norwegians were progressing through the southern hills. Up to now the only action had been a few FJ units who had pushed beyond the smokescreen to check on the Allies and who had rapidly retreated under the Norwegian MG fire. Also, the Germans were adjusting their mortar fire dangerously close to the French start lines (the fields eastern stone hedges).
At that moment, the Norwegian advance stumbled on 2 (or is it 3?) German MG nests, perched in the hills and covering the approaches to the objectives in the valley down below. Thanks Goodness we found them out from the FORESTED side! Nevertheless, the MG's ripped into the Norwegian squads and it took them until turn 13 to completely destroy them, with the French truck-borne units taking them from the rear. By that time my Norwegian Company was at about 60% of its original strength. Those FJ machine-guns are LETHAL! I'm just happy they didn't catch our units in the open...
Concurrently with the drama unfolding in the hills, the French finally start their assault on the objectives under harassment from the German mortars, but with support from their own (the Norwegian one used to suppress the MG's in the hills). As the entire area is smothered in smoke, the French troops are able to progress through the fenced field directly south of the objectives while encountering only moderate resistance - the other FJ units not being able to shoot on the French due to the smoke. However, by the time the French emerge from that field, the smoke starts to dissipate and they take heavy casualties from the paratroopers' withering fire. The Chasseurs are forced to charge the last 50 meters out in the open, under the crossfire of the Fj's barricaded in the stone structures and covered by wood copses.
A vicious firefight ensues. Under the combined assault from South and West, the first objective (the house at 250VP) is seized by the French, then lost to a German counterattack, seized again, lost again to finally be definitively wrested by the French after a 3 turn struggle. The wood copse directly to the north of it swiftly follows but then a stalemate of sorts develops, as a push eastwards is beaten back by the paratroopers holed up in the two wooden buildings.
At that point, the survivors of the Norwegian tussle with the German MG's join the fighting near the objectives, having worked their way upwards from the hills through cover of smoke and the stone walls of the south field. The French trucks cross the river to the Northwest of the hills, and after evading fire from a hidden machine gun are able to find refuge in a small wooded area directly east of the wooden buildings.The French MG's are unloaded and start hosing down the wooden buildings form the rear. Their fire is only mildly effective, but they provide sufficient diversion for a combined Franco(West)-Norwegian(Southwest) assault to succeed. The two wooden buildings are overrun, and a few German units who broke are caught in the open and annihilated.
Following this action the German commanding officer orders a general retreat, and the last objectives near the rail line are easily captured, with a few more German units dispatched in the open.
Scenario ends on Turn 19
Result: Allied Decisive Victory
French/Norwegian 1154 - Germany 217
Casualties:
Allies - Men 113 , Soft vehicle 1
German - Men 107
Christophe
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