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FireGroup '97 tournament ratings: Balance : Even Excitement: Very High Analysis author's ratings: Balance: Slightly pro German Excitement: No comments provided Attraction: No comments provided

Playing time : 5.5 hrs

At first glance, this scenario from Laurent Cunin’s Provence Pack appears to force the Free French down tough road. The Germans appear strong, and will be waiting for the French pass through their defensive scheme.

French Disadvantages: Lots of ground to cover, narrow exit.

The elite units that are doing the ground assault in this conflict are built for this difficult task. Every unit in the Free French force has morale level of 8 or higher except for one 7-0 leader. The main bulk of the opposition only has morale level of 7, giving an edge to the Free French. Capitaine Dabovals’ 6-4-8 units are assault engineers and sappers, so they should be utilized in clearing the path for the armor to follow.

There is plenty of smoke ability in the Free French OB, and it should be used to hinder the German defensive efforts at every opportunity. The crewed mortars should be hauled up onto hill 538 early in the game and used for SMOKE to provide cover for the infantry and to hamper the LOS of the German artillery. Hex EE9 on board 2 provides LOS to 10 road hexes on board 43, and can be used to smoke any German stacks in the stone buildings inside the farm complex walls. The woods in hexes P2 and P3 on board 43 can also be covered with SMOKE. These are likely gun positions and placing SMOKE here early may well tip the German's hand. As the game progresses, the mortars can be lugged up the 2CC8. This hex has clear LOS to the vineyard hexes that guard the exit area - especially AA6 and AA7. This is also a highly probable area for a German gun to be found.

There are four leaders for ten squads and two crews in the Free French OB, so there is plenty of leadership to go around. Three of those four leaders also have negative modifiers - always helpful - and can benefit a player in many ways. Early in this scenario, the leaders can be used to provide extra MF to the ground units. As the Germans spring a few traps across the board, the negative modifiers will come in handy on the IFT and/or close combat.

The size of the Free French force is considerable, but it will take a concentrated effort to ensure that 40 CVP worth of AFVs can exit off the south edge. Once again, the leadership with the Free French armor could make a big difference by lowering the TH modifiers when the MA fire is brought to bear. Getting these armor leaders and their tanks off the board edge will go a long way towards getting the required number of Exit VP.

The Stuart's ability to scout quickly in the German rear should be taken advantage of when a path to the rear is established. The small target size of the Stuarts will make them difficult to hit, and the German player may think twice before taking a low-odds shot at them. Revealing a gun position for such "poor" targets will not be the German's first choice. They should naturally always stay in Motion, and be used to cut German rout paths. If obliged to stop, remenber to make maximum use of Canister ammunition to keep the German Infantry at bay..

There are 33 hexes across the length of a board, so there is no time to waste. The infantry is not required to exit, so they should be put to good use immediately by pushing the German infantry to the limit. Part of the ground force needs to accompany the armored units to help deal with the AT mines and those pesky German PF-toting grounds troops, not to mention helping distract and eliminate the artillery units as they are discovered.

The narrow exit could pose a problem if it takes too long to clear a path. The Germans could place the artillery pieces at the rear of their setup area, so a late dash for the board edge could lead to disaster if the guns are not exposed before the exit process is underway.

As the scenario indicates, a sense of urgency is necessary. But that never means be that you can be careless too. The best approach could be to head for the hills, try to avoid the mines and head all the way down the edge of board 2. The Germans needs to protect a wide front, so a focused attack might just punch its way through the defense and develop a clear a path to the exit area. Any minefields that are located on paved road hexes would be visible. These will likely be covered with infantry and/or ordnance fire. The AT mines will most likely be somewhere along the board 2 road. Use your armor to suppress any infantry units, then send the some French scouts down the road to probe the area for mines and AT weapons. Since all of the grain hexes on board 43 are considered vineyards (by SSR), attempting to force vehicles through that area will lead to numerous bog checks, slowing any advance in that direction. A hard push with the initial Free French forces on Turns 1 and 2 should help determine the path of least resistance for the large reinforcements that follow on Turn 3.

German Disadvantages: ELR 2.

The Germans have a reasonably strong defensive force with 20 factors of AT mines available to channel the French armor. The Germans must to rely on the artillery units to back up the infantry. The artillery battery consists of two 76L AT guns and a very powerful 88L AA gun. The "88" was one of the most feared guns in the war. That power, and its associated fear, translates well into the world of ASL. All three guns have a 2 ROF, so the French will try to avoid a firefight with the Germans.

PF availability will force French armor approaching any German infantry unit to do so with caution - especially those that are in woods, olive groves, or vineyards.

With a SAN of 5 for the Germans, there are a lot of juicy French targets waiting to meet an instant death, especially if any AFVs are running around CE.

Having the ability to use HIP for two MMCs will also slow the French down. The combination of a surprise attack and PF ability can be deadly. These units must be placed effectively to take advantage of a careless AFV.

Like putting molasses in the freezer, the 12 concealment counters will also make the French more cautious and calculating. Since all of the German on-board units will gain concealment after setup, the French player will be faced with finding out where the 12 Dummies are located.

With an ELR of 2, morale checks for the German units are not a promising venture. Already starting with 1st and 2nd line units against the Elite French, any unit substitution will only widen the gap in the quality. Maintaining concealment should be a high priority. Use any terrain benefits available to limit the number of morale checks.

The exit area is only six hexes wide. You can be somewhat conservative and have one or two guns guarding the approaches to the exit area. The AT mines can be used to help channel the French vehicles into the sight of the guns, or at least delay them so the German infantry can cause concern. Some of the mines could be placed on the paved road which, although easily discovered, can be an obvious deterrent to vehicular movement. The infantry's primary responsibility is to deal with the French infantry while they are busily scouting for the artillery guns mines. If the French vehicles get within range, then the German player should blast away with PFs.

As the games progresses the German player must decide when to fall back towards the exit area. This move should be designed to form a last line of defense and force the French player to rush the vehicles though the area near the end of the game. The timing of this move is very important. If conducted too early, the French will close the range and will have plenty of time to place fire on the defense. If done too late, the defense line will not be strong enough to protect against a concentrated Smoke/infantry/AFV attack..

The Free French have a long, treacherous road in front of them. It will be full of AT mines, enemy infantry, and dangerous artillery. A patient approach will not get the job done since the distance to travel is so far. The French infantry must push ahead and suppress the Germans in order to provide an easier exit for the vehicles that follow. The Germans resist and fall back to the exit area for a final stand. It is inevitable that the battle will come to them. The German defensive options will force the action into a strongpoint. This makes a French victory difficult to achieve without effective use of a coordinated, combined arms attack.