AAR - The Zone '68 - The Unauthorized Story

[Ryan Shannahan]

Below are AARS for scenarios 1-5 of Nuklear Winter '68. They were originally posted here on Boardgamegeek: https://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/1065192/zone-68-unauthorized-story. I intended to do an AAR for each scenario but I got distracted and haven't got back to it in some time. I do intend to get back to it at some point (I had better since I helped edit/provided feedback for the rules to Heart of Darkness for Petre).

I'm not playing the campaign game as described on page 21 of the rules. I plan on playing each scenario (solitaire) in sequence. As such, casualties sustained by formation in previous battles will not effect forthcoming battles.

Special Rules used for all scenarios (1-5): Played with modified mines, smoke, and sandbags. Allowed 1 minefield counter per defending infantry unit. To deploy mines, infantry unit had to begin turn on hex in which they wished to deploy mines. Infantry unit needed to roll 5+ to deploy minefield in its hex successfully. If attempt failed, unit could remain in hex for next activation and reattempt with a +1 modifier for each subsequent turn until minefield deployed or unit vacated hex. So +1 on first reattempt, +2 on second reattempt, etc. Same rule applied to smoke and sandbags.

(Note: I played these first five scenarios before the expansion Heart of Darkness arrived. As such, they use only the original rules except for the special rules I noted in the paragraph above. When I get back into the game I'll determine how to incorporate any of the new/optional rules from Heart of Darkness.)

 

[Ryan Shannahan]

Scenario 1 Prodigal Sons

Objective: The Drittes Reich has recently emerged from their deep vaults. The Reich leadership is curious to see if underground bunkers in the Brenken area are still sheltering remnants of the Reich. Additionally, they wish to locate and secure ammunition and oil previously stored in Brenken's factory. The Third Reich must control 3 Brenken hexes by turn 8 to win.

Narrative: The King Tiger platoon from the 1/130 Panzer Lehr leads the Reich column forward from Wewelsburg. Silhouetted on a nearby hill east of Ahden is an armored unit suspected of belonging the Black Hand, a name ascribed to those that remained above ground and seem to have weathered the nuclear holocaust. In a brief exchange of fire initiated by the Black Hand, the Tigers withstand the armor piercing rounds and rapidly destroy Black Hand tank platoon with precise counter fire. The Reich units bypass Ahden and move for Brenken, not wishing to get bogged down in Ahden, even if there are supplies likely to be available there. The remaining Black Hand forces advance to Brenken and begin establishing strong defensive points. Some hexes are successfully mined and sandbagged before the Third Reich assault. A violent seesaw battle ensues in and around Brenken as the 1/130 and 2/130 attempt to surround the town. The Puma platoon assigned to the 1/130 is destroyed by ranged Zealot armor piercing fire. Combat for control of Brenken turns mostly to close combat assaults. Two Black Hand Pest APC platoons are throwing off thick oily smoke while about four platoons of Zealots have been overrun and eliminated. However, things look very grim for the Third Reich who by turn 8 only have the King Tiger platoon and a platoon of Fallschirmjager remaining. Two platoons of Sdkfz 250s and a Fallshirmjager platoon were made combat ineffective by repeated Zealot assaults. Two remaining Zealot platoons occupy the last Black Hand controlled hex in Brenken. One is reduced and shaken due to a high explosive attack by the King Tiger platoon. The Fallshirmjager unit, warned that a withdrawal will commence if their next attack doesn't succeed, prepares for close combat. The Fallshirmjager platoon assaults the last city block in Brenken controlled by the Black Hand and in a tenacious few minutes of fighting overwhelm and destroy the cut up Zealot platoon. The ferocity of the Fallshirmjagers convince the last operational platoon of Zealots to abandon their positions and retreat. The Reich attains control of Brenken, though the battle was perhaps too costly.

Additional Reich units move into Brenken soon thereafter to assist scouting for any survivors and supplies. Their costly efforts were not in vain. Within hours of looking, tunnels to the vaults deep beneath Brenken are found. Thousands of survivors and their offspring are located, sheltering without communication with neighboring Reich forces for the last five years due to collapsed phone lines. They still have several formations of armored vehicles, ordnance, and infantry weapons. Fuel and ammunition, secured away beneath the factory in a vault, are also recovered.

Result: Decisive Third Reich Victory. Third Reich holds 3 of 3 objective hexes in Brenken. Only surviving BH unit is a Zealot platoon that is pushed out of the last assaulted objective hex on turn 8.

Casualties:
Third Reich
1 x Puma 3 VP
2 x Sdkfx 6 VP
1 x Fallshirmjager 2 VP

Black Hand
1x Megrim 4 VP
3 x Zealots 6 VP
2 x Pest 6 VP

Third Reich 21 VP (5 VP for attaining objective)
Black Hand 11 VP

 

[Ryan Shannahan]

Scenario 2 Rangers Lead the Way

Objective: NATO forces need to control the three objective hexes at the Geseke power plant by turn 8. Command needs the power station repaired and in NATO hands to help control some dysentery outbreaks and radiation poisoning. Reliable power generation would also help NATO southern advance push further into the Zone.

Description: The 1st Rangers, comprised of American personnel with an attached Russian Spetznaz sniper team, plan to advance on Geseke up the western edge of the battlefield. Their plan is to take Provenholz and storm the bridge south of Geseke. The Holterberg Hill, a dominant terrain feature east of Geseke, will likely be held by Black Hand forces. Intel points to some kind of self-propelled artillery unit as well as a Meagrim tank unit in the vicinity along with numerous Zealot platoons. The Spetznaz were inserted a day before the 1st Rangers began their advance in order to provide current observations of the enemy dispositions.

NATO units began by cautiously advancing up the western edge of the battlefield toward Provenholz led by the 1st Ranger CO in the M60A1 tank platoon. Aerial recon had spotted not only a Meagrim tank platoon on the Holterberg Hill with a good field of fire on the NATO approach, but a Blighter self-propelled artillery unit as well.

Early on the Black Hand began moving infantry occupying Ochholz-Hofe toward Geseke when the direction of NATO's thrust became clear. The Russian Vympel sniper team managed to eliminate one of those platoons of Zealots who were crossing some open ground south east of Geseke. Other Zealot platoons in Provenholz and Geseke were busy mining and fortifying the ground around those cities. The NATO units, darting from behind hills to copses of trees, weathered a few long distance attacks from a Meagrim as well as indirect fire from a hidden Blighter mobile artillery unit. A platoon of dismounted Rangers armed with M60 machine guns made a fire attack on a Zealot platoon in Provenholz with support from the M60A1 tank unit and the CO. They eliminated the Zealots with an accurate attack but were shortly thereafter attacked once again by indirect fire from the distant Blighter. This time the Blighter's biological agent missiles scored a devastating hit on the CO and his M60A1 tank unit. They died gruesome, painful deaths within the confines of their tanks. The Rangers in the same woods hex were fortunately located upwind of the M60A1 tanks and were spared the same fate. The NATO forces began an immediate withdrawal as they had effectively no chance of success against the greater numbers of well dug in Black Hand forces with the loss of their only armor unit and CO.

Result: Black Hand Decisive Victory. Black Hand holds all 3 Geseke Victory hexes on turn 5 when NATO units withdrew.

Analysis: I'm not really sure what NATO can do to win this battle. It's necessary for the M60A1 to win the duel with the Meagrim. However, the BH still have a self-propelled artillery unit capable of at least a few turns of indirect fire if properly positioned. If NATO can survive that, they still have six Zealot platoons and a Ravager to dislodge in urban fighting in Geseke. I've played this scenario multiple times and never been successful as NATO.

Casualties:
NATO
1 x M60A1 5 VP
1 x CO 1VP

Black Hand
2 x Zealots 4 VP

Black Hand 11 VP (5 VP for attaining objective)
NATO 4 VP

Decisive Black Hand Victory

 

[Ryan Shannahan]

Scenario 3 Lifeline

Prologue: So the 1st Rangers failed to take Geseke during the previous scenario. So to keep the story going just know that a larger NATO force was committed after the initial repulse which did indeed succeed in taking Geseke. Now the story can continue as per the official storyline!

Objective: NATO forces are repairing the electric lines around Geseke. The 58th Motor Rifle has been assigned to defend the engineers and the improvements being completed. This electrical line will help extend the NATO advance to the south. The Drittes Reich is determined to disrupt the operation and eliminate any progress NATO has made. To do this, the Reich units will need to hold at least 2 of the 3 objective hexes by turn 8.

Description: NATO has to defend three hexes at some distance from one another. The NATO CO, in charge of the 58th Motor Rifle Brigade comprised of Soviet and American units, positions himself in Ochsenholz-Hofe, which lies in the center of the fairly strong defensive positions his troops occupy from the Holterberg hill to the north, to his urban position in the center, to the Steinhausen complex to the south. A few infantry and APC platoons occupy Provenholz and Geseke in the rear to the west and northwest. The NATO CO will need to keep central to his units as they are flung to the far reaches of his effective command radius.

This is something that the Drittes Reich forces are hoping to exploit. They are advancing west in two formations, the 1st/130th Panzer Lehr on the southern push and the 2nd/130th Panzer Lehr to the north. Each formation will hopefully act in concert with the other to pull at the NATO flanks further apart. They hope this will force the NATO CO to support one flank at the expense of the other and thereby put a flank out of contact, making it more susceptible to German maneuver.

The first few turns are not decisive. The Drittes Reich columns advance to the west. They sustain fairly constant armor piercing attacks from Soviet T-62s along with American Rangers and Soviet Spetznaz armed with American M72 LAW anti-tank rockets. A couple armored platoons are reduced and then destroyed by this fire, but the Drittes Reich formations continue their advance and manage to obliterate the American M109 Paladin self propelled artillery unit located adjacent to the NATO CO in Ochsenholz-Hofe with indirect artillery fire from the 1/130 Hummel artillery unit. In the north the 2/130 hunkered down in some woods. The E-100 tank platoon supported by a platoon of Fallshirmjager troops is exchanging fire with a couple of T-62s on the hill to their west. Neither faction is able to knock the opposing forces out after a few turns. To the south, the 1/130 sees an opportunity as the NATO right looks disorganized and unable to bring any opfire to bear. The CO directs his troops to advance to cover in the woods surrounding Brenken and from there they gamble that they can cross the open space between Brenken and Steinhausen. Unfortunately for the Drittes Reich, this is were things rapidly go wrong.

The 58th happens to activate next. Reorganized, they find themselves with a couple clear fields of fire from Ochenholz-Hofe and Steinhausen to the exposed Drittes Reich units of the 1/130. At nearly the same time, three Black Hand Zealot platoons emerge as if from nowhere out of ponds across the battlefield. American Rangers and M113 APCs in Geseke quickly cut down one Zealot platoon emerging just east of Geseke. Concurrently, unknown problems seem to plague the Drittes Reich formations. The 1/130 seems bogged down and confused as armor piercing rounds pour in from two different directions. The 2/130 up north is now caught battling a Zealot platoon in addition to exchanging fire with the T-62 platoons on the ridge. The Zealots close fast and attack an Sdkfz 250 APC platoon loaded with Fallshirmjager troops in a wooded copse. Their fire is deadly accurate and the APC platoon is shattered; flaming men pour forth from burning vehicles. NATO fire on the 1/130 does not seem to have destroyed any vehicles for several minutes, yet the 1/130 does not move. Perhaps some vehicles have been immobilized or the comms have been knocked out. Whatever the reason, NATO units keep pouring fire on the 1/130 without facing any counter fire. All of a sudden, multiple Zealot platoons emerge as if one across the battlefield and attack a number of NATO units on roads and in urban areas. The 58th is easily able to resist these attacks from their defensive positions. A few minutes after those attacks are repulsed, armor piercing rounds from the NATO right flank find their marks against the 1/130 through the thick German armor and armored vehicles begin brewing up.

The CO of the 1/130 is dead. Around him King Tigers, E-100 tanks, and Puma recon armored cars flame and smoke. The Hummel self-propelled artillery unit, having fallen behind due to its slow speed and previous indirect fire missions realized that all is lost and begins withdrawing toward the east. It engages over several activations with a Zealot platoon and eventually obliterates the shadowy forms with a devastating high explosive barrage. To the north the 2/130 has been attempting to retreat to the east since the Zealots destroyed the APC and infantry platoons. The withering fire from NATO and the zone freaks has reduced their cohesion and comms. The remaining E-100, Sdkfz 250s, and Fallshirmjagers make a short move east to another copse of trees. Seeing a chance for a crushing victory, the 58th Motor Rifle CO then orders his forces to abandon their defensive positions and advance on the remaining Drittes Reich troops. Very quickly overwhelming fire pours in on the 2/130 in their dense stand of trees. Only a few remain alive to be taken prisoner.

Result: NATO Crushing Victory. NATO holds all 3 objective hexes against the advance of the two Drittes Reich formations.

Analysis
Things were actually looking decent for the Drittes Reich for the first few turns. They were in position to do harm to NATO. Once the Black Hand entered and their activation chits joined the cup, the Drittes Reich seemed on the losing draw of each turn. They usually only activated once per turn which caused them to freeze up at just the wrong moment. They sustained many attacks from NATO and actually persisted against fairly poor NATO rolls for a couple turns. But it wasn't to last; NATOs die rolls improved and the Reich units just couldn't get enough activation draws. It really could have gone either way. NATO could have found itself in the same position as the Reich had their markers not been drawn. If I was playing the campaign game, this would have been an absolutely devastating loss for the Reich, as basically two complete formations from the Reich were wiped out. Oh well. Fun game and it told a very entertaining story.

Casualties:
NATO
1 x M109 Paladin 3 VP

Drittes Reich
1/130 Panzer Lehr
1 x E-100 4 VP
2 x King Tiger 8 VP
1 x Puma 3 VP
1 x CO 1 VP

2/130 Panzer Lehr
1 x E-100 4 VP
1 x Jagdtiger 4 VP
2 x Sdkfz 250 6 VP
2 x Fallshirjager 4 VP
1 x CO 1 VP

Black Hand
2 x Zealots 4 VP

NATO 42 VP (5 VP for attaining objective)
Drittes Reich 5 VP
Black Hand 5 VP

Crushing NATO Victory

 

[Ryan Shannahan]

Scenario 4 Omega

Objective: Drittes Reich forces need to get at least 2 of 3 Sdkfz 250 units carrying V2 rockets from Brenken to Reich controlled Wewelsburg by turn 8. The Black Hand is aware of the Reich's goal and would like to seize the V2 rockets for their own use. The Black Hand are committing two heavy Rancor tank platoons, four light Meagrim platoons, and six platoons of Zealot and Ravager infantry.

Description: The Reich convoy consists of the 1st/501st SS with three E-100 tank platoons and an Ostwind AA unit. The 2nd/130th Panzer Lehr is made of two tank platoons, 2 Fallshirmjager platoons with heavy weapons, and three Sdkfz 250 platoons hauling the V2 rocket recently extracted from the vaults in Brenken. Their plan is to push north toward Ahden and refuel the sabotaged APC platoons there. The SS formation will spearhead the assault as their tanks are heavily armored and they will have more activations. The Panzer Lehr formation will back up the 1st/501st and provide tighter security to the APC platoons. The Black Hand put their heavy Rancor tank platoons in a wooded section north of Ahden with a clear field of fire toward the Reich convoy moving out of Brenken. All four Meagrim light tank platoons occupy the hill north east of Brenken and plan to engage the Reich units in deadly and suicidal close assault and close range combat. The Black Hand has sprinkled both Zealot and Ravager infantry platoons amidst its tank units and along the way to Wewelsburg to assist as able.

The Reich begins by advancing north and engaging the dug in Rancor units to no effect. A couple Meagrim platoons group assault a lone E-100 platoon that moved too close to their location on the hill. They are able to engage and destroy the Reich unit without taking any Op Fire from Reich units. The Reich CO, worried that the Skdfz 250 platoons could be ambushed in Brenken by hidden enemy troops and also concerned about their slow rate of movement, orders the APCs north out of Brenken but within long distance range of the Rancors. What ensues over the next half an hour is a close range tank battle with the Meagrims following through with their suicidal maneuvers and occasional long range duels between the Rancors and Reich tanks from both formations. The two tank platoons of the 2nd/130th are briefly shaken by incoming fire from the Rancors, but they are able to rally quickly and return group fire against the Rancors, their accurate fire brewing up the tanks in an entire platoon. All four Meagrim platoons are wiped out by overwhelming group fire and assaults from the 1st/501st CO with both tank platoons. Before their destruction, however, they manage to work in concert with the surviving Rancor firing long distance shots and annhilate all three Sdkfz 250 platoons with assaults.

Though they have just wiped five Black Hand tank platoons from existence, the loss of all three APC platoons and the V2 rockets renders the Reich's efforts a failure. The Black Hand is not able to capitalize on their victory as they are too weak to exert the control necessary to recover any potential surviving rockets. They withdraw to the north and leave the Reich to secure their wrecked equipment.

Result: Black Hand Pyrrhic Victory. Black Hand destroys all 3 Reich APC units.

Analysis: It was a gamble moving the APCs out of their cover in Brenken with enemy units having range and LOS to their location in the open. However, with their slow speed (only 1 activation chit) time was extremely important. It was possible for the Reich to neutralize the offending Black Hand armor units, but they didn't get the activation draws they needed. The Black Hand did take quite the losses and would likely not have been able to forcibly stop the Reich had their last Rancor been wiped out a little earlier. At the time the last APC was destroyed, the Reich would have likely wiped the Black Hand from the map with their four surviving tank units had their been a reason to continue combat. I feel like the battle could have gone either way. Infantry played no role in the combat even though they were mixed in.

Casualties:
Reich
1 x E-100 4 VP
3 x Sdkfz 250 9VP

Black Hand
1 x Rancor 4 VP
4 x Meagrim 16 VP

Black Hand 18 VP (5 VP for attaining objective)
Reich 20 VP

Pyrrhic Black Hand Victory

 

[Ryan Shannahan]

Scenario 5 Empty Quiver

Objective:NATO forces need to gain LOS on both the Drittes Reich headquarters in Wewelsburg as well as the adjacent V2 launch site by the end of turn 5. Drittes Reich forces must prevent this from happening, or at least deny observation into one of the hexes to force a draw. Radiation storms in the area have prevented NATO aerial reconnaissance of the site, forcing the ground recon, and will affect the maneuver of the ground forces.

Description: NATO has para-dropped three Spetsnaz platoons from the Soviet Vympel unit to aid the 2nd Rangers in their mission. One platoon is equipped with M60 machine guns. The 2nd Rangers drive to Wewelsburg with three platoons of M60A1 tanks, two platoons of M113 armored personnel carriers, two platoons of Ranger infantry (each with M72 LAW anti-tank rockets), one platoon of Soviet BRDM-2 recon vehicles, and has two barrages of off board artillery available. The 2nd Rangers will advance on Wewelsburg from Ochsenholz-Hofe while the Vypel Spetsnaz will push east from Holterburg where they were dropped.

The 1/7 SS consists of two SS-VT infantry platoons (one with Panzerfaust 3 rockets and one with MG42 machine guns), two Sdkfz APC platoons, and a Hummel self-propelled artillery platoon. Each SS-VT platoon is paired with an Sdkfz 250 platoon; one pair occupies the hill west of Wewelsburg and the other a wooded copse to the north. They will attempt to hold the northern approach to Wewelsburg. The Hummel platoon is dug in at the HQ in Wewelsburg and will be offer indirect artillery support to the 1/7 SS units. The 2/501st SS is comprised of one E-100 tank platoon, one Jagdtiger tank platoon, one SS-VT infantry platoon, and one Sdkfz 250 APC platoon. The 2/501st holds the large hill west of Wewelsburg which controls the main approach to Wewelsburg.

The attack commences at dawn. The poor lighting will make any long range fire ineffective for both factions. Both NATO formations advance quickly from their embarkation area. The Drittes Reich units wait to reveal themselves and hold their positions. Abruptly their pensive waiting is shattered by explosions which rip near mounted SS-VT platoons each each formation. No damage is taken to the platoon in the 1/7 SS northwest of Wewelsburg, but the SS-VT platoon of the 2/501st SS is stricken immediately by a terrible gas. The mounted infantry pour out of their armored vehicles and after long minutes of writing on the ground, get up and turn their weapons on the platoon of Sdkfz 250 vehicles they were previously mounted in. They were successfully targeted by a biological weapon used by the Black Hand and likely stowed on board the APCs by infiltrators. Their abrupt assault damages some vehicles and shakes their former comrades, but they are rebuffed and retreat a short distance.

The Spetsnaz infantry platoons advance further east and hold up at the base of the hill occupied by units of the 1/7 SS. The 1/7 SS patiently waits for an opportunity to strike and lie still. After brief consideration, the CO of the 2/501st SS decides to not waste time eliminating his former troops and to make haste to the east to take up better defensive positions closer to Wewelsburg. The 2nd Rangers pour east into the narrow gap between the two hills occupied by the 1/7 SS to the north and the hill formerly occupied by the 2/501st to the south. Two M60A1 platoons (one with the CO) push to the northern edge of the hill, giving them a good view of the Reich infantry to the north as well as the heavy armor of the 2/501st in the open to the east. The 2nd Ranger CO directs a platoon of Rangers and their M113s to take Ahden. His other platoon of M60A1 tanks along with dismounted Rangers armed with M72 LAWs hold the CO's left flank down on the low ground in the valley. He has banked on getting the jump on the Reich armor units to his east. However, the Reich units had seen the dust cloud of the advancing NATO tanks and their CO makes a bold move to reverse course. They catch the rapidly advancing M60 tanks with a rapid salvo of fire. The CO of the 2nd Rangers, in the process of maneuvering his tanks for a shot on the Reich tanks, looses the battle of initiative. He pays with his his life, and the lives of the men in his platoon as they are destroyed by accurate group fire from the E-100 and Jagdtiger tanks. Meanwhile, the BRDM-2 has advanced far to the south east, giving them a great view of Welwesburg to the north.



In disarray, the surviving platoon of M60 tanks struggles to get a good firing position on the Reich tanks below. Unfortunately for them, the initiative and accuracy of the tanks of the 2/501st is far superior. A second platoon of M60 tanks burns on the hill at the front of the 2nd Ranger advance and the Reich CO pivots his tanks around and heads back east. The Spetsnaz troops to the north advance up the hill and gamble on getting the drop on the SS troops. Two platoons move next to some SS-VT infantry and their APCs which are hunkered down in some trees. Another Spetsnaz platoon, armed with M72 LAW rockets, takes a position in the open on the hill with a good view of the 1/7 SS troops immediately to the north as well as the withdrawing tanks of the 2/501st SS to the south east. However, these SS troops of the 1/7 are quicker on the draw and decimate the single Spetsnaz platoon with the LAWs with accurate opportunity fire. The BRDM-2 recon unit calls in an off board artillery barrage on the Reich tanks which lands ineffectively nearby. The recon vehicles move rapidly to the east, out of range of the Reich tanks, and takes position on the hill to the south of Wewelsburg. The 2nd Rangers are quickly reorganized by the second in command but are unable to hit the retreating Reich tanks. An M113 unit advances up into the gap past the firing platoons and the Rangers within dismount and take up firing positions against the Reich tanks.

The 1/7 SS takes the initiative again and makes two attacks against the two remaining Spetsnaz platoons. One is destroyed and the other is shaken and reduced. To the south, the former SS-VT troops, cruelly turned into Zealots for the Black hand, after a rather ineffectual attack on NATO units minutes before, rallies and moves to the north to assault the Ranger unit grouped with the M60 tanks. The Rangers take casualties but repulse the Zealots. This attack, though disrupting the 2nd Rangers and inflicting casualties, heralds a change of fortune for NATO. The last Spetsnaz platoon rallies and cuts loose with accurate fire on a platoon of SS-VT of the 1/7 SS. The Reich infantry are wiped out by the M60 machine guns at close range, leaving their Sdkfz 250 APCs unprotected. The CO of the 2nd Rangers calls in the last artillery barrage available. This time, it lands with devastating effect. The heavily armored E-100 tanks are heavily damaged. The CO orders his Rangers to fire again, and their LAWs and supporting fire from the M60 tanks eliminate the last of the E-100 tanks, and the CO of the 2/501st as well. The other platoon of dismounted Rangers just to the east opens fire with their LAW rockets and support fire from the M113 vehicles. The Rangers completely annihilate the Jajdtiger tanks. With the last of the German armor wiped out and a safe advance secured to the north, the BRDM-2 recon unit advances rapidly to the north. They get excellent LOS on the V-2 launch site and dodging around a copse of trees, are able to recon the Reich HQ safely. The immediately radio the success of their recon mission back to the other NATO units and the 2nd Rangers and Spetsnaz withdraw quickly.



Result: NATO Tactical Victory. NATO gains LOS to both objective hexes.

Analysis: When the scenario started I couldn't see the Third Reich winning. NATO had more armor, off board artillery, a recon unit, and more infantry armed with better weapons. NATO boldness in combination with favorable chit activation and die rolls resulted in two destroyed NATO tank units as well as a destroyed Spetsnaz unit equipped with LAWs in a favorable position. The objectives abruptly looked unattainable by NATO and I considered withdrawing the NATO units based on the result of the immediate activation draws. However, the favorable activations and die rolls rapidly switched to NATO which allowed them a return the devastation back to the Reich forces. Sweeping the BRDM-2 recon unit wide to the south ended up being a very good move, as it gave them a good view up the Reich gut as well as set them up for a successful move to recon Wewelsburg. Had NATO not scored three lucky attack rolls with the artillery barrage followed by their ground units, the BRDM-2 would have faced devastating opportunity fire from the Reich tanks which would have likely given the Reich the victory.

Casualties:
Reich
1 x E-100 4 VP
2 x SS-VT 4 VP
1 x Jagdtiger 4 VP
2 x CO 2 VP

Casualties:
NATO
2 x M60A1 8 VP
2 x Spetsnaz 4 VP
2 x CO 2 VP
1 x Reduced Ranger 1 VP

Black Hand
None

NATO 17 VP (5 VP for attaining objective)
Reich 15 VP
Black Hand 2 VP

Tactical NATO Victory

 

[Ken Warren]

Good stuff, Ryan! Thanks for sharing these AARs. FYI, I've never been successful in Rangers Lead the Way as NATO. I've thought about giving NATO another M60A1 to see if that helps balance the forces out. There just doesn't seem to be any way to win without incredibly good dice rolls for NATO.

 

[Ryan Shannahan]

I just looked through my notes on BGG. I've augmented the Rangers in scenario 2 by giving them the full 1st Ranger formation with an additional M60A1, M113, and Ranger platoon twice. Once resulted in a draw, the other another defeat for NATO. It's a good scenario, it's just that either a) I suck or b) NATO's order of battle needs to increase a bit. Considering that they are attacking multiple well defended objective hexes they should probably field a bigger force than the defenders.

This battle always starts off with one telling duel - the exchange between the Meagrim (usually firing from the hill) and the M60. The M60 platoon has to survive and knock the Meagrim out for the Rangers to have any chance at all.