Author	Greyfox
Method	Solo
Victor	Germany
Play Date	2020-06-11
Language	English
Scenario	IrWo001

This was the first scenario I played after completing the vassal academy. I completed it over a period of two weeks. It was a fairly large scenario, covering an obscure topic. Beyond that there were several other attractive features - 1) A mix of armor, infantry, AT guns, and indirect fire (both on and off board, 2) practice using engineers, 3) tough lessons about the placement, use, and movement of AT weapons, 4)the challenge of a River Crossing, and 5) a huge map with varied terrain that allowed the Lithuanian player to practice a defense in depth. The scenario itself was fun and challenging for both sides.

The Lithuanians drew several strong junior leaders to leader their roughly 1.5 battalions worth of troops. They had about a batteries worth of Artillery (AT capable) and a companies worth of antitank capabilities, to defend a broad front (almost 7 km). The key terrain were the two bridges spaced exactly 4kms (20 spaces) apart and proved to be the focal point of their defense. They were significantly outclassed in artillery, which if massed and the rolls were good, could decimate the Lithuanian defenses. They were also far less mobile than the Germans, who had a large number of relatively weak tanks (PZ Is and IIs). Additionally, due to lack of transport and dearth of artillery it pretty much relegated the forced the Lithuanians to fight two separate fights (one in the west and the other in the east. Their ability to reinforce- specifically from east to west (or vice versa) would have been time consuming and extremely hazardous - It could take the Germans between 7-9 turns to reinforce, let alone the Iron wolves.

The German's didn't have a significantly larger force, with barely 2 battalions worth of troops. Their good leaders, strong off-board artillery, on board mortar support, tanks (even weaker tanks are better than none) were decisive to the overall outcome of the fight. The one big weakness is the inability of the Armor and Infantry to work seemlessly together (See special rules). You can't activate armor and infantry at the same time, even if in the same hex. The only exception is combining efforts in an assault and that's when both units are present, which takes at a lot of action segments to make happen.

Lithuanian's conducted a defense in depth with a company dug in and defending each of the bridges. AT platoons were placed in the woods to provide overwatch on both bridges. They had a company defending the western town, one in the town NW of the eastern bridge, another in the heights overwatching the eastern Bridge, and the final company split between the two Eastern villages at the northern end of the map. All forces were either dug in, in the woods, or in town hexes.

The Germans had a fixing force of two reinforced companies with some engineer, mortar, and tank support attack the bridgehead in the west, while the bulk of their forces attacked in the east.

The outcome was surprising.... The Lithuanian forces actually rolled well. They ended up fight the. germans to a standstill in the west for 14 turns in assaults just north of the bridge - and didn't finally give way at the bridge until turn 17. The German's were decimated in the west and didn't take a single town hex. Engineers supported the river crossings. Though plagued by artillery fire, the German's got enough combat power across the river to finally help with the assault on the Bridges.

In the east the Lithuanian's held the German's at the river line for 12-turns. That despite facing the preponderance of German artillery fire In the east. AT fire almost completely stopped traffic on the bridge (two wrecks, one more would have made the bridge useless for several turns), Good Lithuanian small unit leaders placed up front to support recover rolls, and first fire capability for dug in troops helped immensely in both cases. Lithuanian artillery placed in forest hexes, and on the reverse slope of the eastern hill allowed the massing of limited Lithuanian artillery, safe from German counter fire (as no German leaders could spot the Lithuanian Artillery), which wreaked havoc with river crossing operations and prevented in the east..

Once however the river crossing was effected things started to progress for the Germans. The tanks were critical in maneuvering and conducting massed direct fire at close range (usually 1 hex) at units defending towns, ICW indirect fire. Assaults the supported by infantry and engineers usually were able to attack disrupted or demoralized troops more effectively. By turn 14 they were attacking into the town just NW of the eastern bridge. By turn 17 it was cleared. By turn 20, the hill was taken and the pesky reverse slope Lithuanian Artillery was destroyed. Finally, the weakly held town along the road due north of the eastern river was taken by turn 22 with most of the NE town taken by the end of turn 24.

It was a fun game, but a bloodbath for both sides. Overall German Major victory with 75 to 35 VPs. Most of the German VPs came from the capture of two bridges and 11/16 town hexes. Step loses were 30 for the Lithuanians and 29 for the Germans (including 5 x double counted tank steps lost). The game could have been called by turn 21 or 22 as a major German victory; however, up until turn 14 it seemed like it could be a draw.

Not sure how balanced this game is, but I think the Lithuanian's had a fighting chance provided I did a few things differently. I can think of two specific improvements for executing the Lithuanian Defense, and it was all in the Eastern half of the Map. I could have done better in placing a second AT platoon, and maybe practicing a little less tactical patience. Starting with AT platoon placement - I had one AT Platoon way up north in a town that did nothing until the end fo the fight. It should have been placed within range of the bridge, but in a different hex than the other AT platoon. I could have also potentially risked placing one of my precious Artillery platoons to also provide AT support to the eastern bridge as well. If you can close the eastern bridge (see wreck rule), it would significantly slow down the assault in the east. Three wrecks stops movement across that chokepoint (the Lithuanians managed to kill two steps of armor on the eastern bridge), and it takes time to remove wrecks and attack using the bridge, or conducting river crossing ops. It could potentially give the Lithuanian a chance at victory. Had the Lithuanians stopped movement across the bridge with a third German armored step loss in the hex, it would have allowed the Lithuanians to mercilessly pound the German's river crossing operations with the reverse slope artillery. With the Lithuanian's I was also overly tactical patient. The defense in depth had no interlocking fields of fire, leading to several very compartmentalized fights. I feared the German field artillery, and I never reinforced the eastern bridgehead. I think I could have easily dispersed my forces keeping no more than one PLT per hex while maneuvering to reinforce, thus making a much less lucrative target for German Field Artillery, and sustaining the fight at the river.

Overall. Lots of fun, and a number of good challenges. Highly recommend.