WO5 Astride Hell’s Highway

American: Scott Romanowski

German: Oli Holfrsson

This is an interesting scenario with two ways for Oli to win. He can control buildings 63T5 and S6 at the end of Game Turn 5, or he can place 20FP from MMC/MGs on road hexes 63Q9-GG6. TPBF, PBF, Area Fire, and SMOKE don’t apply to that calculation. We played this by email because I couldn't set aside hours-long blocks, and I dislike live play via VASL. Like the current state-of-the-art of androids, it's close enough to live to just be creepy.

America setup

The 9-1, MMG/337 goes in the steeple. Together with the 105 HIP in K3, I hope to hurt the Germans if they try to make a wide hook, going to around 63BB3 before heading for X4. If they take a more direct path, my 747s can join in. The wildcard is Oli’s two StuGIIIBs with s9.

I place a 747 each in R4, T4, V5 and V7.

T5 has a 747, BAZ/8-0

T6 has a BAZ/337

T6h2 has a 337, MMG/9-1

I will transfer the SW from the leaders in RPh1a.

Oli setup some OB-given ? in Open Ground, but we fixed that and it didn’t affect play. His PzJg in 44B5 gained concealment.

Turn 1a

Oli gets smoke from both StuGs and runs troops towards X3 behind that cover while the rest move behind the woods and advance to the edge. I take some ineffective shots. He did reveal one 88LL in D2 to fire at 63V7.

Turn 1b

I start with a bang, placing WP in U2 (8-1, LMG/548, MMG/237, MMG/237), pin the 8-1 and break a MMG/237. Then the MMG gets a K/1 on T1 (8-0, 436, 236, 236, 447) which CRs the 447. The 1MC breaks the 8-0, CRs and ELRs the 436, and ELRs both 236s. I get a NMC on V1 (8-1, 447, 447,436) which breaks the 436.

I dash V5 to T6, move the ?BAZ/337 to U6, and try to skulk back a bit. Oli smokes T6 and gets a NMC on V5 but it passes.

I get a NMC from T5 to V1 in the AFPh which all his units pass, but it activates Oli’s sniper which pins the ?BAZ/337 in U6.

I pull back in the APh, and advance down from the steeple. If I stay there I’m sure Oli would have smoked it, or hit it with both StuGs and the 88. No thank you. It also lets my FG with the 747 on ground level and U6, in case Oli moves a large force into W5.

Turn 2a

My U6 units claim WA. Oli BHs the broken 436 in V1. He fires smoke into T5 from 44H1, but misses when firing smoke into U5 from I1. His 12FP+5 shot from U2 to T4 has no effect.

In the MPh Oli charges my position. The 447 from X2 goes to V3, where T4 gets 1 1KIA. A 447 from V1 goes to V2 and is pinned by R4. I fire the 105 at a 548 running through V3, getting a 2MC which it passes, but T4 breaks it with SFF in U4.

Oli runs another 548 from X3 to U5. T5 fires out of the smoke for no effect, so I fire the 747 in U6 at it, breaking it.

After drawing much of my fire, Oli runs two 447 to S4 (CX) and T3. I don’t risk FPF. He moves a 548 to V5 where the BAZ pins it.

Oli then moves his 9-1, LMG/548 to V5, where my U6, T6 and T6h1 fire. They get a 2, cowering, but breaking the LMG/548. My BAZ/337 in U6 and MMG/337 in T6h1 both cower. Oli moves his 8-1, 447 from V1 to T3. I’ll risk some shots for a leader & squad. The 105 IntFires and I roll a 12, eliminating it. I FPF the 747 in T4, pinning it but breaking both of Oli’s units.

Oli ends the MPh by moving X3 to U5, where my U6:747 FPFs, breaking it, and Y3 to V6, where my U6:337 pins while FPFing at it.

The image is a little cramped, so here are Oli’s forces:

63S4: 237, cx447

T1: b8-0, disrupt(3*236)

T3: 447, b8-1, b447

U2: 8-1, LMG/548, MMG/237, MMG/b237

U3: pin237

U4: b548

U5: LMG/b548, b548

V2: pin447

V5: 9-1, pin548, LMG/b548

V6: 548

44H1 & I1: two StuGs, both CA to SE

44D2: 88LL/228, CA E1

44B0: ?+3

33B5: ?PzJg CA D5

33B6: 436, ?+1

Out of 19 squads, he’s lost two and seven are broken. By counting what’s revealed, I know there’s at most one more squad in 33B6 and 44B0.

I left a little residual

Oli’s forces near the victory buildings

In the AFPh Oli breaks everything in U6, CRing the 747 and BAZ/337. In the CCPh he advances S4 & T3 into T4. He eliminates my 747 at 1:1 with the +1 DRM for CX while I fail to harm him.

Turn 2b

Oli rallies the 8-0 and a 236 in T2, the MMG/237 in U2, and a 548 in W5. I rally the 337 in T6h1 and break one of the 548s in V5 in PFPh. I DT the crew to Q6, and AM R4 and T4 east. I move one Daimler to 13B5 where it stops and fires its CMG at W5 to DM it, fires its MA @ the StuG in 44H1, missing, then reverses to 13C6. Oli breaks my 747 in R5 with fire from U1. In the AFPh I break the unbroken 548 in V5. I rout R5 to T6 where hopefully it’ll rally.

Next turn I’ll have to rush my Daimlers across what I’m sure it at least one 88’s field of fire.

Turn 3a

We get gusts. Oli routs V5 to W5. There are five broken 548s and one unbroken 548 there, plus the 9-1! I rally the broken 747 in T6h0. Oli rallies three of the five broken 548s in V5, and a 236 goes beserk in T1. In the PFPh Oli places smoke from 44I1 in T6 by firing at the steeple. He rolls a 2, and my sniper dr is a 1, which recalls 44I1.

His berserk 236 charges S6. It rolls a 2 for a 3MC in S5, and I get a 2 for my sniper and it stuns Oli’s other StuG! But the berserk 236 gets in to S6. Oli moves three 548s into U6 and I take a 36FP+5 shot from T6 in the DFPh. VASL rolls high – a 9 – which is a NMC, then it rolls high for his NMCs. One breaks, the other ELRs and CRs, and the last pins. My Daimler in 13C6 has LOS to 63W5, and DMs the two 548s there. Oli gets a NMC on T6 which breaks a 337, and I activate his sniper, which breaks a 747 there too.

Oli advances 237 in to T6 and other units to T5 and U6. We fail to affect each other in S6, and Oli gets a 2 against my 9-1, 747 in T6, eliminating them and creating an 8-1. My return attack does nothing. With that it’s certain that Oli will take T5 and S6; I’ll have to take them back before the end of my turn 5.

Turn 3b

I set up my reinforcements in the NE corner. The 9-2, three 747, and both dmMMGs are on the Shermans. The 9-1s are each stacked with three 747s, and the tenth is going to run along the road at 13J6.

Oli reveals a HIP 88LL in 44H2, which flames a Daimler in FF6, and his last 88LL in 44B1 to fire at a Sherman in 13I9. It’s an improbable hit, and luckily the C3.6 dr is a 5 for a miss. But the 88LL still has ROF. I move it to hexrow 63DD, so I’m out of LOS of all the 88s. Oli gets a CH and 2KIA on a squad trying to place smoke to cover the other Shermans, and he maintains ROF. That 88LL gets six shots, KIAs two squads (one with a CH) and breaks a third. Oli then breaks my 747 in 63T6h1 with an 8FP+5 shot.

In the CCPh, my 747 eliminated his berserk 237 (but it’ll probably break from a 30FP+3 attack from T5 in PFPh4a). The melee in T6h0 is inconclusive.

Turn 4a

Oli gets his reinforcements, and he enters them on 44I10. He breaks my 747 in S6 as expected. He malfs the MA of his PzJg, and immobilizes his remaining StuG as it tries to stop. He manages to run two squads and a 9-1 to T6h1, despite fire from my overstacked, encircled 747 in the steeple and a hit from a Sherman. Oli controls S6 and T6 at the end of this turn. I’ve got to take one back, and I’m going to focus on S6.

Turn 4b

As I moved forward, Oli continued his dice streak, many times rolling a 2 or 3 with his Infantry and 88s when he needs a 2 or 3 to hit or get an effect. I can’t win against dice like that, so I concede.