19 - Backs to the Sea - An AAR.

Introduction

I just bought Yanks! and am taking it for a spin. I read about the US infantry, but I have yet to see how they play out. The 2nd Ranger Bn, F Coy has its back to the cliffs of Normandy and are sitting tight as the first credible wave of 2nd line german rifles are launching an assault. All grain, buildings, junctions and bogs are shellholes. The numerical odds are over 2 to 1 for the germans. 

2Rng/F, concept of operation

The company is to screen the whole width of the AO and slowly trade terrain for time. Keep the germans at standoff range, using shellholes for cover before settling into the woods. 

726th Inf Rgt, concept of operation

We're facing US rangers: their standoff range is larger than ours, their firepower, and ability to fire in the AfPh makes them tough nuts to crack. They key here is to overwhelm by presenting too many targets, and overrun them while they run from our bullets. They don't remain broken for long! 

We are making a feint on our right, punching hard in the centre, with a credible push on the left.

1600Z 

Poised to assault, the XXXth Inf Bn is dashing across the field into concealed positions.

 1602Z 

Germans

The MTR team in the center pins the US MTR while the extremes left and right engage. On the right, the US MTR breaks two squads before getting thrashed by a FG in the AfPh. The rangers rout through shellholes. Let's call this an exchange. 

On the far left, the rangers mow down a whole MMC with defensive fire. The bulk of the germans will make contact in the APh.

US Rangers

True test of command here: the rangers rearrange to keep at standoff range. Enough bullets are whizzing over the artillery craters and a few MMCs are breaking here and there. Surprisingly, the US MTR rallied and managed to fire in the PfPh! The germans are degrading fast, with an ELR of 2. 

1604Z onwards...

I forgot to take picture, but it didn't end well for the rangers. The Germans finally got their MMGs and MTR, formed big FGs and the americans were shredded to pieces, forced to rout through shellholes and in the open.  There is no picture, it was too sad to forfeit a game about halfway through the scenario. 

Take 2

The rangers learned from their mistakes, the germans learned from their successes. First of all, I realized that there was 4 MMC too many on the german side, so I fixed that. But this error doesn't explain the disaster on its own. 

2Rng/F, concept of operation

Setup deep into the AO and let them come! I grouped them together to form 12 FP FGs which would still pack a 6FP punch in long range. I placed my 60mm MTR in such as way that they have a killing field but are not exposed too much to the obvious place for the germans to setup their MMGs and MTRs. I was leery of air burst and first avoided the woods, but concealment terrain and a better TEM are good tradeoffs.

Without a screening position, the rangers were banking on long range rifle fire and 60mm mortars to interdict the advancing germans.

726th Inf Rgt, concept of operation

The plan wasn't changed too much. I ignored on third of the map, made a really thin screen to interdict the shifting rangers from reinforcing the main push. Keep the FG at 8FP, with the SW to keep the rangers fixed in place.

Take 2 setup. Dummies at the left, mortars and 3 MMCs in the woods.

US right wing. Expecting the germans to use the bocage (stone wall on the map, bocage by SSR)
as main approach.

I didn't take many picture as I played quickly and was having too much fun. One german MMG broke very quickly and a few german MMCs broke and downgraded to conscripts in the second turn. The wind turned in the next turn when the germans brought the SW to bear and broke almost everything in sight. The germans made the best times to the woods. And this is where awesome happened.

A tiny cardboard medal for PFC Clouse

Clouse, a 1-4-9 was the only thing left in good order as the germans hit the woods. The rangers piled up in a rout under a broken 8-1 SMC. He rallied, but not them. PFC Clouse fought a rear-guard with PBF, broke the advancing germans for long enough to allow the ranger to rally. 

All rangers, under a 8-1, in the wood and no longer DM, manned up at once. They broke with PBF all of the germans assembled into a kill stack, ready for the final assault. This had to be done in PfPh, leaving the job to run circle around the germans to PFC Clouse. Single-handedly, PFC Clouse denied routing and lead the three germans MMCs into the rangers positions, who made no quarters (for the lack of babysitters). 

Here below is a picture of PFC Clouse and his homies, prancing in the woods as the germans figure out that there is not enough of them left in good order to win the scenario. 

PFC Clouse, have a C-ration: it's on the house.

What did I learn? 

1. A broken morale of 8 changes the dynamic of a battle, as expected. It gets more real when you play through, though.
2. Respect the mortar, for they are solid assets on the field. 
1. It makes sense to use mortars as counter-battery by setting them up to engage the defensive MTRs quickly (and hope to win the duel).
2. I remember once reading that ASLers didn't like the light MTRs. I find them rather potent.
3. There is little point in manipulating groups mustering less than 6 FPs, 8 FP being even better. 
4. Heroes have their uses, but rarely as a complement to a FG.