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FireGroup '97 tournament ratings Balance: Even Excitement: Very high Analysis author's ratings: Balance: Even Excitement: Very high Attraction: Withdrawal and counterattack

Playing time : 6 hrs

The highly original nature of the depicted action makes this scenario one of my all-time favorites. A German attack occurs during a US withdrawal, but beware: the counterattack by the relieving troops of the Free French force will be harsh.

American/French Advantages: Mortars, reinforcement quality, SMOKE.

American/French Disadvantages: Victory Conditions, Exit VP.

This scenario will ask you to use your best defense and then your best attack skills. A bad defense will concede too many buildings to the enemy for a pitifully low cost, and a flabby attack will fail to regain all the lost buildings.

The setup should be done to make maximum use of the US troops’ firepower potential (you should also place your sniper as close as possible to board 2). Placing some of your units in the southern area is risky but essential. The mortars, placed in 15F3, will concentrate on the southern German attack and also on board 2 units. Since you have to exit 14 VP pretty quickly (more than half of what you have), you can’t spare more than four squads for the task of holding up the enemy for a while. The 6-6-7s should be good in this task. One of them could set up in a foxhole in 15L10 or 15M10. This will allow him to place a nice Fire Lane, to restrict German moves. Also, a 6-6-7 with MMG in 15O9 will cover 15P1, while being protected from board 2 hill shots. Setting up this same unit in 15O10 would be a terrible mistake. At best, he will be broken by the end of the turn, at worst, will surrender leading to a quick German victory! The few Partisan units are crucial since they don’t need to exit. Why not place a supplemental Fire Lane from 15K2 (8-0, 3-3-7 and LMG)? Sacrificing a squad in 35M3 is a possibility you might want to consider. Efficiently used, the Partisan units will hamper the German attack considerably.

In the end, everything will depend on the scenario’s second half, with the entry of the Free French reinforcements. They are a powerful, high quality fighting force: 14 squads (among them 10x4-5-8s), lots of support weapons, and 4 leaders (with a 9-2). The watchword for these troops: "Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!" The SSR 4 constraint will probably bother only a few units. Fire from the board 2 hill will probably take its toll among the French, since they must cross open terrain before reaching 15M6-O7-P6 in the APh, but they should charge forward anyway. Although these troops are capable of laying down a SMOKE screen, they should only do so if it is urgently needed to cover the hasty exit of the last potential VPs toward the northern edge.

The remainder of the scenario is only a matter of showing some skill in building clearing and being able to harmonize speed and efficiency.

German Disadvantages: ELR, conscripts.

In the first part of the game, the German player should rush to control as many buildings as he can. He then has to keep control of at least one in order to win.

Alternately, he can plan to win before turn 6 but that option seems utopian. The Allied player will probably have grouped the bulk of his forces near the northern edge, in order to exit 14VP as quickly as possible and to keep everybody in the 6 hex-wide safety zone. To counter this strategy, the German attack will have to concentrate along the northern edge of board 35. Unfortunately, against a wise Allied player, this attack has not even a small chance of success: The vineyard terrain prevents any rapid movement and the tremendous US firepower will turn this attack into an ugly rout.

So, only the first attack option, controlling buildings on board 15, is really feasible, which means that the German attack should concentrate on the southern area. However, it would still be wise to hamper the orderly withdrawal of the US force, by placing the AA gun and HMGs on the board 2 hills. Who knows? An opponent error, a lucky shot, or your sniper (which you should place in the northern area) could offer you an unexpected quick win. 2H3 and 2J4 are good setup locations for the AA Gun and 2P3 looks like a perfect MG nest.

In order to optimize your attack, you will have to neutralize hex 35M3, which controls the stream in 35M4, 35M5 and 35N3. You should also quickly clean out any enemy units in that entire area of hexes. Should Partisans or dummies control the area, you have two options. The first is to fire on them with your mortars or with the weapons on the board 2 hill. (Or do they have other, juicier targets?) Your high ROF will allow you to strip concealment quickly to allow some more efficient shots later. The other option is to Opportunity Fire some Fire Groups and send out one or two HS scouts. This choice is a question of taste, but I personally like the violent method (why lose troops and time?). Afterward, your numerical advantage will prevail. Supported by a kill stack (9-1, 3×4-6-7, 1×MMG and 2×LMG, for a total of 23 FP), the remaining squads - followed by at least two 7-0 leaders - should conduct a firm but cautious offensive They should deploy to scatter enemy fire (the most dangerous of which will come from the top of Hill 783). Good progress can be measured by Control of the 15O10, 15M9 and even 15K10 buildings. Ideally, you should occupy these buildings as early as Turn 3, and then stretch uphill around 15P6. There’s no doubt you will gain some Control of some buildings; the main question is what price you will pay for them. Keeping your casualties minimal will help ensure a win. Your units on board 2 should take their toll on the Free French reinforcement horde, but only an efficient board 15 occupation will delay the French attack enough to grant you the victory.

It’s an excellent scenario. It is well balanced and intense and forces both players to demonstrate their skills on the defense as well as while attacking. Both will be forced to use their units’ abilities to the fullest. Beware of being caught by the sudden death Victory Conditions since it would be a great waste of a tense and promising end game.