Kettlehut to the Rescue, sort of....

I apologize for my late updates on my final few games. I didn't have the time while wrapping up ASLOK, and since then I've been busy getting back to my normal life.

When last I posted, I provided a grim update on Bloody Red Beach. That was from Wednesday. Thursday, I returned to the venue full of a determination to redeem myself. As soon as I arrived, I managed to get a game with a gentleman from Colorado named Tom (Jazz). He wanted to play something from the new Schwerpunkt pack just released at ASLOK, and I was happy to comply. I chose "Kettlehut to the Rescue" since it looked interesting.

Kettlehut has a small force of Americans defending a Chateau on a high mountain from an advancing force of Germans, armed with offboard artillery and a few tanks. The Americans are dug in on the hill and are reinforced with a platoon and two tank destroyers later in the game, along with an Artillery Field Observer (Lt. Kettlehut). Historically, the presence of the Field Observer directed counter-battery fire to silence the German guns. As a special rule to this scenario, the counter representing Kettlhut has to get line of sight to the far end of the board. When he does, the German player losses artillery support.

To simulate the preparation bombardment, the Americans must start the game by taking a task check for each American squad. Every other squad that fails starts teh game broken, while the others are pinned to start. I deployed on the hill with foxholes and three machine guns creating a nice killing field in front of the chateau. I placed a bazooka in a hole within range of a small wooden building in the path of the German advance, ready to smite any squads that took cover there. I placed the small mortar in a foxhole behind the chateau with a spotter in the building to call the shots, keeping the mortar both out of the line of fire and a hex further back to prevent the Germans from getting within the minimum range of the mortar (2 hexes). Overall I was pleased, but worried about the pre-start task checks.

I guess I should have expected what happened. Of the nine squads to start the game, two broke and two were pinned before the game started. THe left flank collapsed completely. The Germans opened up with a cluster of two machine guns on the opposite hill, directed by a 9-2 leader. The guns went on a rate of fire tear, spraying the Americans with fire and breaking just about everyone before it even got started. By the end of German turn one, I had two good order squads in play. The Germans swarmed up the hill and started taking broken Americans prisoner. By the end of turn two I was down to one good order squad with most of the rest hopelessly surrounded. It was bad...demoralizing even.

The Germans swept me off the hill in no time, securing the building when my reinforcements finnaly arrived. I was left with three American 6-6-6 squads, two Priest Tank Destroyers, and Kettlehut. With that, I had to take the Chateau back from about a dozen German squads and two tanks of his, plus the artillery that kept pounding my positions. Utterly hopeless.

We played it out, but it just didn't seem right. It was quite a bitter loss for me, since I so wanted to redeem myself from Bloody Red Beach. A few hours later, I received some consolation. It turns out that the scenario was printed incorrectly. The Germans set up on hexes number less than five on thier board, putting them right in the face of the Americans. Turns out it is supposed to be hex numbers greater than five! That would back the Germans up and force them over open ground, as well as letting any broken Americans to rout back to some cover to rally. It might have really changed things. I can't say I would have won, but I wouldn't have been crushed in one game turn. I'd really like to play it again the right way.

So I sucked up another loss and ran to 2-7. Still seeking redemption.