AAR - Primosole Bridge CG1 thru 15AM

July15AM: With 80CPP plus 4CPP left over from 14N I figure it is time to seriously go on the attack. I don’t want the Axis to have two Idle days in a row to reinforce their lines and this looks to be when I have the most points to work with. I figure Doug will go Idle (no real reason for him to attack) and I’ll use my second Attack Chit. I’m still concerned about wasting the one on 14PM as that leaves one less potential CG Date to play – and I want as many CG Date’s played as possible. I’m the one that has to take ground – Doug just has to delay me. My plan for this scenario is to attack out of the village (which I’m fortunate to control) and take the two East entry points away from Doug. From their I’ll roll up the North edge gradually taking each entry point away from Doug until he has to make his last stand around the B4 house. I don’t think there will be a problem with this (of course there will be) as I think Doug will spend more resources on the West set-up area then the East.

I buy 2 Coys of Lgt infantry (one on-board set-up), two troops of Shermans, a 70mm Batt. OBA, a Mtr Pltn and a MG Pltn. The Mtr and MG Pltn get to set-up on board for free. They go in the West side of the village to defend against any counter by the Axis across the vineyards. The OBA goes in S14 to provide OBA punch for my drive to the entry points. One rifle company starts on-board and in the village so I can get a quick jump on the entry points – maybe before Doug can react and stop me. Finally, the 2 Sherman troops enter from L28 with the 2nd Inf Company. 6 of the squads ride into the village on the Shermans and the other 3 (it ended up being depleted) either head west to the far copse of Olive Trees or CX it into the village to help defend the West side.

Right away I see my plan is in trouble. On Doug’s turn 1 he places a whole company of Pioneers on the Northern entry hex of the East edge. Along with what appears to be a couple more MG platoons. Rats, I’m going to have to grind this one out. He counters my 70mm OBA with two of his; a Batt. Mortar and a 105mm. Then he rolls out 2 88’s and another German Infantry Coy (I think these are the remnants of the 14PM Germans that get to enter because I had the village) that enters from the West side. Lots of counters, this isn’t going to look pretty. In addition, he still has a ton of Italians that remained after 14N.

Basically, thing go to plan. On the West, Doug sends the Italians slowly across the vineyards – assault moving then advancing. They don’t try a direct attack like last time and are content to dig some foxholes to extend their set-up area later. Late in the scenario and send a couple platoons and a Sherman to counter-attack. They do end up capturing 2 Italian squads but not much more happens (other then the Sherman bogs and then malfs the main gun). In the center, some mortars and a Sherman take care of the two 88’s. One never gets unloaded and the other one falls prey to a mortar as the crew tries to manhandle it to a better position. I’m happy those guns are gone because that leaves very little to counter the Shermans. On the down note, my 76mtr platoon manages to break and then eliminate the mortar. That ended up being a wasted 6 points. The real action is on the east flank. Both his radio’s end up breaking, and only one gets repaired (the 70mm fortunately). He ends up only getting 1 fire mission down – it beat me up in the center pretty good, but too late in the scenario for Doug to take advantage of the hole. My OBA gets about 3 missions down and does some damage – mostly to Italians, but the OBA hindrance helps me out a bit as Doug manages to put together some 36+ firegrouped shots into my line. My company sweeps quickly NE and takes the farthest south entry hex easily, but then Doug and I basically form up lines and face off about 3-4 hexes apart; blasting away at each other. My light company verses his pioneers. With all the hindrances from the vineyards and olive groves neither can really gain a distinct edge. Fortunate for me, the OBA causes enough double breaks that I do pick up a bunch of CVP; but they’re mostly Italians so he’ll still have a lot of German units on board after this scenario. The scenario ends on British turn 6. I’ve taken 1 entry hex but have caused 38CVP (14VP in prisoners) to his 4 CVP. I’m real happy about that, but am concerned about not taking that second East entry hex. Also, 1 Sherman was recalled and a second still has a broken MA. Also, two of the remaining five Shermans are bogged. We’ll see what I get to keep come the refit phase. I really don’t want to fight two Axis set-up areas – I don’t have the numbers to fight a two front battle – but clearly I’m going to have to come the next battle.

AAR - Primosole Bridge CG I cont.

July 14PM cont.: Doug loads up for the attack. Near as I can tell he has purchased four coys (2 IT and 2 Ger), an Italian MG pltn and an Italian mtr pltn plus the FB42 and a Stug pltn (2 stugs). He must have bought 2 coys for 14AM and then 2 more for 14PM because of the restrictions on how much he can replenish. I end up with just being able to by increased SAN twice, FB42, two Para Pltns and one ArBn Coy Cmd. Not much, but since I didn’t lose much on the initial landing and still have 2 AT guns and a captured Italian MMG along with the village I’m feeling pretty good. It is a lot of Axis squads though….

Doug has to enter everyone from off-board. His Italian blackshirt coy and 2 stugs enter from the north and drive towards the town across the open fields. It’s a pretty safe crossing given the hindrance from the olive groves and vineyards. The regular Italian coy and two more German companies cross from the NNW corner and attack the west side of the town. Since we both have FB’s I’m wondering about tying the Axis FB (we both only got 1 plane) up in a dogfight – but alas, his FB enters first (even though I had purchased the -2 drm option) and my first sighting check boxes recalling the useless FB. Doug’s FB then runs a strafing run on my 9-2 and three squads that I thought were in good shape behind the stone wall – course that was only in good shape from his infantry. A snake eyes later and tied r.s. sees two of my para squads KIA’s and a broken 9-2 and 648. Not looking good – but later that turns out to be my only casualties so in hindsight that didn’t matter as all the para’s withdraw after the night anyway.

After the FB attack on my stack and another broken squad on the north end of the village Doug’s Italian attack is looking pretty viable until he hits the barb wire fence. Then he breaks both mortars and 1 of the hmg’s. He pulls a Stug up outside of the wire and then discovers that one of my AT guns is three hexes away. A turn later the first stug is gone and the turn after that the second stug is down. Meanwhile, the western attack hits the range of the 648’s and the firepower is too much for the Germans and Italians. The attack bogs down at the wire. I get lucky and roll a 1 at the end of Brit turn 5 and the scenario ends. The paras have held the town with the loss of 2 squads and the recalled FB. The Axis lose the two stugs and 6 ½ squads (mostly Italian). Doug does manage to get to all 4 objective hexes and also dig a few foxholes so he now has a much expanded set-up area around B5 and a second set-up area on the East side of the map.

July14N: No reason for me to attack so I go Idle. He still has a lot of MMC’s and there is no reason to take the East entry hexes as he can still enter on them at this time. If he wants to attack my paras at night, go ahead. I like stealthy at night and there is a large uncontrolled territory between the allied and axis set-up areas that he will have to cross at night that will eat up lots of turns of movement. Realizing that the British paras withdraw after the night anyway, Doug also goes Idle so no scenario is played. The Brit paras withdraw, but since the British control the village north of the river, a portion of the Germans that withdraw (9 squads, 3 leaders and a SW) will get to come back July 15AM. So, Doug will have two set-up areas with the remnants of two coys of Italians setting up in them and about a company of Germans to enter with in addition to his normal CPP purchases. We pause here and will pick up July 15AM next….

AAR - Primosole Bridge CG I

AAR

Doug and I started the Primosole Bridge CG I. Doug choose the Germans/Italians and I’ve got the British. We’ve played the Pegasus Bridge CG twice and both times Doug played the British so it made sense to switch. Also, Doug has a habit of failing morale checks with British elite troops so he figured he was better off with the Italian conscripts.

July 13 Night: Like Pegasus Bridge, this CG starts off with a British night Glider landing but also adds Brit paratroopers. The Italian on-board set-up is pretty structured with the Italian units in the buildings/fortifications adjacent to the paved road and a small German contingent that shows up on turn 5 traveling in convoy. The British have two wings of Paratroopers and up to 4 AT guns delivered by Glider to attack with. I choose to drop the paratroopers in the compound and just west of the village. Later, another platoon of para’s enter on-board cloaked. The gliders all landed in the SW corner so as to guarantee landing and avoid being overrun by the Germans if they land north of the village. Good plan except I rolled 6’s for two of the gliders as they landed. They crashed malf’ing the guns, eliminating the crews, and bogging the jeeps. Hmm… 4 easy CVP for Doug right off the bat. Well, at least I kept 2 AT guns in good order. May entry dr goes great and my para’s enter right away. The ones dropping from the sky do their job. The west attack into the village goes smoothly with almost no losses. The Compound attack also goes well for the Brits. This allows the cloaked para’s to move up the road quickly and stay cloaked as they assist clearing the final buildings in the town. It doesn’t help the Italians that the NVR went down to 1 on turn 2. By turn 6 the town is taken and the convoy rolls down the road and into the north part of the town – and unknown to them surrounded by concealed/cloaked brits. After the ambush, the 88ATgun and truck are eliminated (but the crew survives) as are two other trucks and respective half squads. Doug does catch a few breaks though. One half squad will end up advancing out of a CC and into a building giving him an isoloated strategic location in town (that half squad will eventually escape). The gun crew ends up in uncontrolled territory where he also will be retained. The surviving truck in no-man’s land will also escape along with the Italian truck that left much earlier. End of the scenario came on Axis turn 6 when Doug rolls a “1”. That left the British in control of all the village/bridge/compound except for one building in the village. All the Italians eliminated (except the truck) and most of the convoy eliminated (except a half-squad, crew, and truck). British CVP is 27, Axis CVP is 6.

July 14 AM: I think Doug will attack this turn. The British are at their weakest and the Axis strategic location in the middle of the town creates some no-man land hexes I have to work around. I, on the other hand, want to go Idle – not waste an attack chit with so few troops and defend in the stone buildings against one of his 3 Attack chits. Course, I end up being wrong, Doug chooses to go Idle in order to have two replenishment phases to work with. So, no scenario is played.

July 14PM: OK, I don’t really want to attack, but I need to get rid of the Axis strategic location in the middle of my set-up (it doesn’t go away in the Idle day as you don’t repeat that section of the refit phase on an Idle day) and I’m thinking I need to stretch out a bit and build some entrenchments to serve as strategic locations for the future. I select attack. Doug, now flush with lots of troops (I guess as he has a ton of CPPs to spend) also selects Attack. On reflection, this is a bad decision on my part. I should have realized that Doug would have to Attack or else simply fore go the chance to force a British withdrawal at the end of 14PM. I should have gone Idle also. If both of us Idle I save an Attack chit for later when I get all the CPP and I will not be forced to withdraw my Paras before the night and he ends up wasting a lot of troops as he is forced to withdraw later and would only get to use these troops for a limited duration. Since we both picked Attack, I’ve just wasted an attack chit. So we’re playing this one with a Dual attack. Brits end up rolling to set-up first. More to come….