ASL scenario BFP22: Speed Over Caution

Played Bounding Fire Productions scenario 22 titled Speed Over Caution today.  It takes place on board 6 with overlays to get rid of the manor house and uses BFP's light bocage rules.  Basically making them half height, 1.5MF to cross, and no blind hex behind them.

Tycho had a plan for the US so I took the defending Germans.  The highlight for the Germans are two Panther tanks, two Shrecks, and an HMG.  The last useful item is a roadblock.

On the US side the draw is six tanks, three with Gyros, one with a 76L, and an 8-1 armor leader.  In addition they had 2 Bazookas and 2MMG.  The troop ratio was 11.5 squads to 8 and 3 leaders to 2.

Sorry Tycho, couldn't resist...

A look at the game start.  US troops have to control the buildings in the Yellow area OR get 20cvp off the board where the US star is at the bottom.

The first US tank enters the board, fired on by a Faust which misses, the tank was not one with a Gyro so the Panther shot at him and brewed him up as shown.

First one down.

Second one comes on board, this time the 76L armed Sherman.  Fires and misses, Panther takes an IF shot and rolls 11...

He then fires his MGs and causes a stun and DMs the riders on the tank to boot.

Third Tank Comes on board and suffers a BIG STUN result from entering the Bore Sighted HMG location (and more hot dice for me).

Two US Tanks down.

Another Sherman suffers another little stun result from the HMG position.

That HMG is on a roll...

Situation at the end of the US half of turn 1.

The Panther fixes his MA on the first try and destroys the 76L armed Sherman.  At this Tycho wisely thought it was over...

Keep playing, you still have a chance, my luck has to turn sometime...

End of German turn 1.  The CX squad next to the Panther fired on a squad I had moved into the Panther's hex for some hairbrained reason I don't remember.  It deserved the fate it got.  The squad with the LMG was trying to get the Wall Advantage HS with the Baz to fire at him so the Panther could scoot on by, no luck so the Squad cut him off from heading for the Panther instead (after they fired at each other to no effect in Defensive and Advancing Fire).  At the top of the map the squad in the foxhole broke and ran so another squad jumped in.

The US tanks and a Bazooka fired 7 times at the Malfed Panther (not taking chances after it fixed the MA immediately last time...).  Ricochets all around...

End of US Turn 2.  One squad made the AATC, jumped on the Panther and killed it. 

End of German turn 2 and End of Game.  First off, I rolled GUSTS for the weahter so all the smoke was gone (and just read that it may have only been reduced).  The remaining Panther Jumped in CC the US 9-1, MMG, and Squad in G3 and only managed to pin them.  He then tried is nuggywerfer in CC and failed the roll.  On the plus side the US squads did not manage to kill him.  Down below the Shreck carrying HS captured the US Baz HS.  Up North the US squad that snuck past the front line was broken by point blank fire from J1.  He ran upstairs when a German squad moved in back of him to prevent routing away.  At this point Tycho called it and we stopped the game.  With only one tank left getting of the board for the CVP win was impossible and taking the 5 victory buildings would require extreme luck - which had been going my way till now.

This scenario really was decided the instant the Panther's MA was repaired and it took out the last two full functional Shermans.  The two on the road were recalled due to HMG fire so I let them go, Tycho did try desperation kill shots on the Panther but they missed.    This is the third scenario in a row that was pretty much decided on the first turn or two.  Although in this case I think it was REALLY extreme luck on my part and bad math on Tycho's part (he thought woods was quarter mp to enter rather than half - no insult, I can't keep track of all the things I get wrong) but with TWO tanks taken out by HMG fire and recalled that really hurts.  Finally the MA repair was a killer - if it had not Malfed the US would have stayed out of LOS of the thing and smoked it, as it was it came back and ripped the offensive apart all by itself.