Author	treadasaurusrex (Britain)
Method	VASSAL
Victor	Britain
Participants	Isra3lite (AAR)
Play Date	2025-08-26
Language	English
Scenario	PaLe007

This was another fun-filled, but slightly gamey, 3-session play through with tenacious & careful Israe3lite leading defending elements of the German Panzer Lehr Division, in a 14-turn battle. I led attacking elements from the British 50th Infantry Division (6th and 9th Durham Light Infantry & the 4th and 7th Dragoon Guards) in this 1-map fight. Both sides drew middling leaders.

We used the FOW, consolidation, excess initiative, smoke/illum, hidden units (Germans only) strategic movement and extended assault optional rules. We also used these FIVE house rules: 1) Standardized Movement for Mechanized Units — All mechanized units may move through clear hexes at a movement cost of only 1 movement point (MP) per hex, instead of 1 1/2. Add one to this cost if moving up, across, or down slopes hexes, 2) German Assault Gun Activation —German Army, turretless STGs and Jagdpanzer units were typically crewed by artillerymen. Like halftracks, these units may be activated by ALL leaders, as well as Tank Leaders, unless prohibited by scenario rules, 3) Towed Anti-Tank (AT) Hidden Emplacement — Unless prohibited by special scenario rules, ALL dug-in, entrenched, or town- occupying, towed AT gun units always begin scenarios in HIDDEN mode if allowed to dig-in per scenario special rules (please see Optional Rules for Hidden Units; Plotting Position; Revealing; and No Hidden Units Specified on Page 37). For example: dug-in, PaK 38 (50mm); Soviet 45mm, or British 2-pdr and/or 6-pdr towed AT gun platoons would all qualify under this house rule, 4) Armored Fighting Vehicle (AFV) Consolidation — Unless prohibited by special scenario rules, reduced 2-step units like tanks, and other AFV units of the same type, nationality, and morale condition may be combined to form a single, full-strength unit. Both reduced units must start their activation in the same hex and be activated by an adjacent – or same-hex – good order, Tank Leader. This action costs both units all their movement points. Remove one of the units, flip the other to its full-strength side and mark it activated, and 5) Voluntary Unit Reduction Rule — Unless prohibited by special scenario rules, players may voluntarily reduce 2-step personnel units to 1-step (halved) if they have at least one leader of Major or higher rank among their side’s assigned force. To do so, the unit to be halved must begin the player’s activation phase in the same hex or in an adjacent hex to the unit to be reduced. The full-strength unit to be halved must be in good order and this action costs all the reduced unit’s movement points. Remove the full-strength unit, and replace it with 2 reduced strength units, mark both as activated.

This rule set provided improved playability, tactical flexibility & simplicity during our play-through.

Our busy, first session (game turn 1-2) consisted of a well-executed British movement to contact on the left flank (northeast corner) of the battle map. This approach took advantage of the wooded hills in this quadrant and facilitated the bulk of the Tommies entering the map unseen. Brave English officers exposed themselves repeatedly to enemy opfire, while probing the Wehrmacht positions on both flanks. Accurate German OBA eliminated a British officer, and ambushing opfire inflicted the first step loss on an overeager RIF platoon on the outskirts of the 1-hex village at Hex 29-0412. The Brits continued probing forward south, and a small column broke off to create a weakside flank movement in the direction of another single-hex village at 29-0912. The victory point tally was now: 34 for the steadfast German defenders, and 0 for the scrambling Tommies.

The exciting second session (game turns 3-4) featured the Tommies drawing into decisive range on the large hill mass and surrounded the second village at Hex 29-0912. In both cases the British initial close assaults failed, and the Wehrmacht forces executed a swift tactical withdrawal to the southern margins of the large hill mass. Opportunistic British armor moving on the right flank, probed forward and began liberating town hexes in the rear of the still-substantial German force. Step losses this session included 5 steps of Tommies and one of their scouting leaders, while the Third Reich lost only a single step of AT guns, a prime mover and a leader. Consequently, the British initiative level fell one level. The victory point totals were now 23, for the defending Germans, and 13 for the surging British side.

Our stimulating third session (game turn 5) featured more circumscribed movement as the contending sides closed with each other and step losses mounted for the German defenders who were now trapped in the valley of La Guillette. The Brits were able to eliminate both STG-III platoons with volleys of AT shots by their tanks. There were three active close assaults in play as the game was called by the German commander when we both realized that there was no longer the possibility of an Axis wins. Final victory points were now 21, for the defending Germans, and 23 for the victorious British side.

There were only 2 FOW-shortened turns of the 5 played, in this truncated play-through.

This was a gamey, unbalanced, but fun-to-play scenario that barely merits a rating of 4, in shared play with a tenacious, yet flexible opponent. The more experienced player should lead the – much harder to play – German side. Nevertheless, I recommend this one for SHARED play only.